From our correspondent in Montreal,
Mitch Case, full of red beard and mischievous almond eyes, is a Métis craftsman. He shares his passion for beadwork on his Facebook page and website: he practices a traditional style of Métis floral beadwork and covers his clothes with traditional patterns. The 30-year-old does not limit himself to the arts, but is also committed to the Métis nation of Ontario, for which he is the regional advisor: In Canada, the Métis are not just an ethnic mix, they are a real culture. at the interface between First Nations and settler ancestors.
Earlier in the year, the federal government announced that it would introduce legislation to enshrine the principle of self-government for the Métis Nation of Ontario in Canada’s Constitution, recognizing their community’s administrative and citizenship powers. “It would cement the rights we’ve fought for for years,” Mitch said. The project could be submitted later this year, but there are protests from First Nations communities and even among certain Métis communities.
A patchwork community
Canadian society was and is a federal political project originally imposed by English settlers trying to tie together a patchwork of diverse peoples. For example, the Inuit and First Nations such as the Crees or the Atikamekw were there before the settlers arrived: they gained political rights and power over their communities. Some Quebecers are still fighting for independence due to their French-speaking heritage.
“The Métis originally arose in the Red River region in the early 19th century when French Canadians working for the North West Company and Scots employed by the Hudson’s Bay Company mixed with Aboriginal people such as the Crees,” reports Francis Lévesque, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Quebec’s School of Native Studies in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. At that time, the fur traders worked closely with the First Nations: Unlike in other areas, they did not fit into the culture of the Aboriginal people, but created a hybrid culture.
The Métis were already included in the rights acquired by First Nations, including the section of the 1982 Constitution Act recognizing “the existing rights – aboriginal or covenant – of the aborigines of Canada”, such as the right to hunt. However, there was no definition of the term “Métis”. Who was Metis? In 1993, Steve and Roddy Powley, Métis, were charged with hunting moose without a permit. Ontario is suing them, but they are pleading not guilty under this section. Canada’s Supreme Court will give them a reason ten years later by opening the door to recognition of Métis rights and introducing the Powley test to determine whether or not a person is of Métis culture.
Internal and external stresses
Despite progress, the Métis Nation of Ontario’s aspirations are divided. Historically, the Metis are primarily concentrated in Manitoba, another province of Canada. However, since the Supreme Court decision, many Canadians have defined themselves as Métis using the Powley test. “Those identified as Red River historical Métis have several organizations: some of them will recognize the Quebec and Ontario Métis movements, others, the most important ones, do not recognize them.” Many Métis leaders say there is the majority are individuals who appropriate their identity,” notes Francis Lévesque. The Métis Nation of Ontario voted in March to disfellowship 18% of its members who had misrepresented their ancestry to obtain fishing and hunting rights, among other things.
For Mitch Case, the question doesn’t arise: he is and always has been Métis, and his family raised him as such. Its culture is a mixture of historical events, such as the Métis struggles against the federal project in the 19th century, crafts, dialects and a particular worldview. “Historically, our communities have had a so-called syncretic worldview, in which they saw their traditional indigenous spirituality and Christianity as complementary rather than opposed,” explains the regional adviser. Although he does not speak the Métis dialect of his community, his ancestors speak and speak a mixture of French and indigenous languages.
Indigenous peoples are also skeptical about the emergence of Métis claims, which could particularly encroach on their territories. Some parishes even state that no Métis lived in some of their areas, the elders recall. For Métis Nation of Ontario legal adviser Jason Madden, in an interview with Radio Canada, the question does not arise: The agreement with the federal government will have no impact on the agreements concluded with the other First Nations.
Far from being limited to these legal and political debates, the Métis Nation of Ontario is now trying to strengthen ties in its community: building affordable housing and supporting workers. This is the most important thing, says Mitch Case: “In addition to our day-to-day political responsibilities, we are also building Ontario’s first cultural center dedicated to the Métis nation. It will be a museum, a home for our stories, to come together to celebrate and mourn our dead. Ontario’s Métis expect the center to open in the fall and hope it will do so shortly before the passage of their community’s rights empowerment bill.