A few years ago, those members of my extended family who live in Canada were afforded the opportunity to register as Indigenous peoples. This was the product of a ruling that determined Canada could not deny such claims based on blood quotient because actions taken by the government to “reform” Indigenous peoples led many to marry outside the community, thus reducing Indigenous blood quotients across the country. What does matter now is the ability to demonstrate connection to an Indigenous group.

My ancestors lived alongside but separate from two communities in the early days of colonization. The French called them “Métis,” the English “half-breed.” They were so named because they chose to honor the traditions of their Indigenous parents, grandparents, etc., as well as those of their European ones. And for approximately 150 years, they were free to do so.

This ended in the mid-1700s when so-called “purity” became an issue for Europeans. Since that time, the outside world has made an effort to convince the Métis that they cannot be who they say they are. To most Americans they are just people who claim to have Indigenous ancestors. They don’t know that we survive only because our ancestors survived bounty, germ warfare, persecution and war.

Jamie Beaulieu
Farmington