Pride is a part of the Métis population explosion

CAROLINE ALPHONSO

Compiled by Bill Curry in Ottawa

January 16, 2008

TORONTO -- Canada's Métis population has almost doubled in the past decade, growing at a much faster clip than any other aboriginal group, newly released census data show. But what's behind this dramatic increase?

Statistics Canada attributes it to "important political and legal milestones" in recent years that could have encouraged people to identify themselves as Métis. But one expert on aboriginal issues also wonders whether, in the absence of a definition of "Métis" by Statscan, some respondents are giving the term a broad meaning.

"Without an education, many people can be confused that Métis simply means mixed race. In fact, many of my students make that mistake all the time," said Hayden King, a lecturer in the indigenous studies program at McMaster University.

"I wouldn't be surprised if many who know that they have a first nations grandmother or a first nation father define themselves as Métis only because they don't know Métis have a distinct culture."

Mr. King doesn't doubt that the Métis population, just like other aboriginal groups, has grown.

In fact, many aboriginal people don't participate in the census, he said. Statscan said people from 22 reserves were not included in the 2006 snapshot.

The census data, released yesterday, showed that of the more than one million aboriginal people, nearly 390,000 identified themselves as Métis. This population has increased by 91 per cent since 1996.

In recent years, the Métis population received recognition in several court cases that have had an impact on their hunting rights.

The Supreme Court of Canada in 2003, for example, recognized their status as a distinct aboriginal group with protected constitutional rights.

"The more court decisions that go their way, the more that builds pride among the Métis population and the more people who are willing to say, 'I'm not ashamed of my culture any more. I'm Métis,' " Mr. King said.

Defining what makes a person Métis can be tricky. Some say the Métis are descendants of marriages of native Indians to French Canadians or others of European ancestry. Others define the term more broadly.

Jacqueline Romanow, acting director of the aboriginal governance program at the University of Winnipeg, defines it as a person having aboriginal ancestry and identifying with Métis history and culture. "Identity is pretty personal so it might mean different things to different people," said Prof. Romanow, whose own family background is Métis.

Prof. Romanow doesn't doubt that the Métis population has increased - probably more so than what Statscan revealed.

"Back in my grandmother's day it was something that people sometimes hid, because if they could try to blend in, they would," she said.

[Source]

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