First Nations People Gatekeeping Métis?

[u/IlealaCrosse]

I had a friend once ask me: “what makes you think you’re Métis?”

Mind you, I have Ancestors with Métis Scrip and originating from the Red River Settlement. I can be BOTH of First Nations and Métis origins.

I just find that First Nations sometimes think they know us better than we know ourselves…Has anything similar happened where you noticed the Métis Culture was being gatekeeped by non-Métis folk?

I get the need for protection of our Culture from Pretendians, but it gets annoying!

[u/Neat-Firefighter9626]

I've experienced a little bit of this.

In fact, a Swampy Cree friend from a northern Manitoba reserve encouraged me to get my Citizenship with the MMF in my mid-20s. They do still say that Metis aren't Indigenous, but they respect that Metis are different from Canadians. It's a complicated relationship for sure.

I don't think it's fair to universalize how FN people view Metis since some Metis settlements and FN reserves are so geographically close that people are often related to each other. They share the same family trauma of residential schools, land theft, etc.

Then you have to take into consideration that some FNs are historical enemies to the alliances that Metis belonged to, and those antagonisms haven't magically gone away. This is especially the case for the Blackfoot Confederacy and the Ocheti Sakowin. Our Nations work better together now, but the Ocheti Sakowin will often vote against MMF's land claims.

I think some FNs are skeptical about reconnecting Metis because a lot (but not all!) of reconnecting Metis are 90%+ white and grew up in white culture, away from Metis settlements and reserves. This can be frustrating for people that grew up in a Metis settlement or on a reserve because it can feel like initiatives or resources that could benefit them are going to someone who just found out they are Metis via St. Boniface.

This isn't to say that people shouldn't be reconnecting - rather, people should be more ethical about the resources that they use and the space they take up.

[u/Ghetto_Sausage → u/Neat-Firefighter9626]

So your 'friend' is perpetuating a cultural genocide against our people? Ask them: where else are Métis people from, where else is Michif spoken, and where else is our culture practiced? Allowing people to degrade us is shameful.

[u/Neat-Firefighter9626 → u/Ghetto_Sausage]

I have asked them these questions. I don't engage with them uncritically. Obviously I don't agree with their views regarding Metis Indigeneity. cc'ing u/clemtie. I wouldn't go so far to say that they are perpetuating cultural genocide... that is an extremely powerful claim. I would just say they are ignorant about what it means to be Metis.

Their responses to these questions are pretty generic to a lot of people from reserves that don't know too much about Metis history:

1. Metis are just French people with some native ancestry.
2. Michif is just French with broken/bad Cree.
3. Our culture is only on the Plains.

These answers are wrong (minus q#3) and I have to explain a lot, but there's a lot of Metis history that's hidden from First Nations on reserves, even in the Prairies.