Métis
Mixed Indigenous ethnic group of Canada and the US / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Métis (/mɛˈtiː(s)/ meh-TEE(SS), French: [metis], Canadian French: [meˈt͡sɪs],[citation needed] Michif: [mɪˈt͡ʃɪf]) are an Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces.[2][3][4][5] They have a shared history and culture, deriving from specific mixed European (primarily French, Scottish, and English) and Indigenous ancestry, which became distinct through ethnogenesis by the mid-18th century,[6] during the early years of the North American fur trade.[7]
Total population | |
---|---|
624,220[1] (2021) | |
Canada | 624,220[1] |
United States | Unknown |
Languages | |
Michif, Cree, Canadian French, North American English, Hand Talk, Bungee, other Indigenous languages | |
Religion | |
Predominantly Christianity (Roman Catholicism and Protestantism) |
Métis | |
---|---|
People | Métis |
Language | Michif Métis French Hand Talk |
Country | Michif Piyii |
In Canada, the Métis, with a population of 624,220 as of 2021,[1] are one of three legally recognized Indigenous peoples in the Constitution Act of 1982, along with the First Nations and Inuit.[8]
The term Métis (uppercase 'M') typically refers to the specific community of people defined as the Métis Nation, which originated largely in the Red River Valley and organized politically in the 19th century, radiating outwards from the Red River Settlement (now Winnipeg). Descendants of this community are known as the Red River Métis.[9][10][11] In 1870, the Métis Provisional Government of Louis Riel negotiated the entry of the Red River Settlement into Confederation as the Province of Manitoba, making Manitoba the only province to be founded by an Indigenous person.[5]
The Métis National Council (MNC) is the political organization, that represents the Métis Nation at the national and international levels. In 2002, the MNC defined Métis as: "a person who self-identifies as Métis, is distinct from other Aboriginal Peoples, is of historic Métis Nation ancestry and who is accepted by the Métis Nation."[5] First Nations are disputing this.
Alberta is the only Canadian province with a recognized Métis land base: the eight Métis settlements, with a population of approximately 5,000 people on 1.25 million acres (5,100 km2)[12] and the newer Metis lands near Fort McKay, purchased from the Government of Alberta in 2017.[13]