‘Mawachihitotaak:’ For Métis, it matters to say ‘let’s get together’ to share stories

The Métis are one of the most misunderstood Indigenous groups in Canada .

The Canadian Constitution recognizes that “Aboriginal peoples of Canada includes the Indian, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada,” yet in practical terms the Métis have continually fought, and continue to fight, to have their inherent rights as Indigenous people fully recognized.

Our peoplehood comes from a shared history, political will, cultural traditions and kinship networks that predate colonial boundaries .

Our homeland spans the Prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as well as parts of British Columbia, Ontario, the Northwest Territories and North Dakota.

Yet we are often and erroneously mistaken as simply half European and half First Nation.

As a post-contact people who were seen as different from our First Nations relatives by those who encountered us, we don’t fit easily into racial categories.

Our positioning between worlds presents a conundrum for those from outside the Métis community as we proudly embrace our complexities, ambiguities and contradictions .

Still, this complexity has caused confusion and left us vulnerable to those who knowingly exploit Canadians’ widespread lack of knowing.

Read more: Becoming Indigenous: The rise of Eastern Métis in Canada Knowing this, there is a great need for ongoing authentic Métis voice and representation, and expression of our unique cultural identity.

Seldom-heard Métis truths In these times of “Truths Before Reconciliation,” one of the lesser-known facts in Canadian history is that Métis people have routinely asserted their Indigeneity and rights through legal means .

As respected Métis author and retired lawyer Jean Teillet details in The North-West Is Our Mother The Story of Louis Riel’s People, the Métis Nation (2021), the Métis have gathered and organized ever since the birth of our nation.

These meetings included legal discussions and plans.

Métis historian Lawrence Barkwell details some of the numerous petitions sent to the Dominion of Canada starting in the mid-1840s as the Métis made extensive use of their right to petition the government for recognition of their rights, including land rights.

Very few, if any, of these petitions proved successful.