ASPECTS OF METIS CULTURELanguageA unique language that did appear among the Metis of the Plains and Parklands was Metchif. It was a fully developed language that included French nouns and noun phrases with the Plains Cree verbal system.Metchif was once believed to have been restricted to the southeastern parklands area in the Turtle Mountain region of Manitoba and North Dakota. However, it has been found in northwestern Alberta, where it is called Metis Creel Metchif is also found in the eastern part of Manitoba, where it has incorporated the Ojibway language as well. The Fiddle and the SashSquare dancing, jigging and fiddle playing were the highlights of every gathering of Metis who lived along the river system. The distinctive culture of the Metis is symbolized through their music, dance and special articles of clothing such as the sash. The Red River jigs and reels, borrowed from the Scots and the French, were known by every fiddle player and any excuse to get a dance going was acted upon.The style of clothing worn by early Metis came from both the European and Aboriginals. The colourful l'Assomption Sash belted at the waist was not only decorative but practical. A man could carry his pipe, tobacco, and matches in the sash. The original Metis Sash is distinct by identifying colours -- red and white representing the mixture of two nations; blue depicting the sky and bountiful water; green representing fertility and growth; yellow depicting the sun; brown for the animals of the land; and finally, black representing completion of the cycle. The Manitoba Metis Federation recently developed a unique Metis Sash based on the original L'Assomption Sash with the colours of red, blue, white, green and black. The new sash colours represent the following: red is the historically depicted colour for the Metis sash; blue and white symbolize the colours of the Metis national flag, a flag with a blue background and white infinity symbol; green symbolizes growth and prosperity for the new Metis Nation; and black symbolizes the dark period in which the Metis people endured repression and dispossession by the Canadian government. Weather Signs - Traditional Weather ForecastingOver the generations, Aboriginal people learned to read the signs of weather from the clouds, trees, water and land. A Red River tradition of this kind of weather forecasting combines the signs known to the French and Scots with those known by the Aboriginals and are still used by some people today.Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning; |
| Previous Page | The Metis | Next Page |