List of Métis people
Encyclopedia
This is a partial list of Canadians who are of Métis
decent.
Métis people
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
decent.
Historical
- Pierre BottineauPierre BottineauPierre Bottineau was a Minnesota Frontiersman.Known as the "Kit Carson of the Northwest", he was an integral part of the history and development of Minnesota and North Dakota. He was an accomplished surveyor and his many settlement parties founded cities all over Minnesota and North Dakota...
, Minnesota frontiersman, surveyor, diplomat and translator - Louis RielLouis RielLouis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
, Métis leader who led the Red River RebellionRed River RebellionThe Red River Rebellion or Red River Resistance was the sequence of events related to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by the Métis leader Louis Riel and his followers at the Red River Settlement, in what is now the Canadian province of Manitoba.The Rebellion was the first crisis...
in 1869 - 1870, the provisional government of Rupert's Land, Manitoba's entry into Confederation in 1870 and later led the North-West RebellionNorth-West RebellionThe North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada...
in 1885. - Cuthbert GrantCuthbert GrantCuthbert Grant was a prominent Métis leader of the early nineteenth century.-Life:Grant was the son of a Scottish father and Métis mother. He was born in 1793 at Fort Tremblant, a North West Company trading post located near the present-day town of Togo, Saskatchewan, where his father was a manager...
, Métis political and military leader - Gabriel DumontGabriel DumontGabriel Dumont was a leader of the Métis people of what is now western Canada. In 1873 Dumont was elected to the presidency of the short-lived republic of St. Laurent; afterward he continued to play a leading role among the Métis of the South Saskatchewan River...
, Métis military leader during the North-West RebellionNorth-West RebellionThe North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada... - Howard AdamsHoward AdamsHoward Adams was an influential twentieth century Metis academic and activist. He was born in St. Louis, Saskatchewan, Canada, on September 8, 1921, the son of a French Métis mother and an English Métis father. In his youth he briefly joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police...
, Métis activist, author and leader - John NorquayJohn NorquayJohn Norquay was the Premier of Manitoba from 1878 to 1887. He was born near St. Andrews in what was then the Red River Colony, making him the first Premier of Manitoba to have been born in the region....
, Métis politician, Premier of Manitoba from 1878 to 1887 - Malcolm NorrisMalcolm NorrisMalcolm Norris was an influential Canadian Métis leader of the twentieth century and celebrated Aboriginal activist. A Marxist, Socialist, and Métis nationalist he served for a time with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and as an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company...
, Métis politician and activist - James P. BradyJames P. BradyJames Patrick Brady, better known as Jim Brady , was a Canadian Métis political leader and activist in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Along with Malcolm Norris he is generally regarded as one of the two most influential Métis leaders of his era...
, Métis politician and activist - Pierre DelormePierre DelormePierre Delorme was a Métis fur trader, businessman, farmer and political figure. He represented Provencher in the Canadian House of Commons during the 1st Canadian Parliament as a Conservative member from 1871 to 1872. He also represented St. Norbert South in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba...
, Métis politician and activist - Michel "Mitch" BouyerMitch BouyerMitch Bouyer was an interpreter and guide in the Old West following the American Civil War. General John Gibbon called him "next to Jim Bridger, the best guide in the country"...
, a Métis of French Canadian and Sioux ancestry. He was an interpreter and guide in the Old West. He was a lead scout with the US Seventh Cavalry and died along with Lt.Col. George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876.
Artists and writers
- Sandra BirdsellSandra BirdsellSandra Louise Birdsell, CM is a Canadian novelist and short story writer of Métis and Mennonite heritage....
, daughter of a Métis man and a Russian Mennonite woman, based her award-winning novel Children of the Day in part on her parents' experiences in ManitobaManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
in the 1920s to 1950s. - Joseph BoydenJoseph BoydenJoseph Boyden is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. His first novel, Three Day Road won the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize...
is an award-winning Canadian author with Irish, Scottish and Métis roots. He won the 2008 Scotiabank Giller PrizeScotiabank Giller PrizeThe Scotiabank Giller Prize, or Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English the previous year, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries...
for his second novel, Through Black Spruce. - Robert BoyerRobert Boyer (artist)Robert "Bob" Boyer was a Canadian visual artist and university professor of aboriginal heritage. He was a Métis Cree artist known for his politically charged abstract paintings.-Life and work:...
(1948–2004) was a Métis Cree artist, best known for his politically-charged "Blanket Statements" series of paintings. - Alec ButlerAlec ButlerAlec Butler is a Canadian playwright and filmmaker. Born intersex and raised as a female, he was known as Audrey and identified as a butch dyke before pursuing gender reassignment in 1999, and currently identifies as a Two-Spirit and transman.He was a nominee for the Governor General's Award for...
- George R. D. GouletGeorge R. D. GouletGeorge Richard Donald Goulet is a Canadian Métis best-selling author, historian, public speaker, retired lawyer and prostate cancer survivor.-Life:...
is a best-selling Métis author whose books include The Trial of Louis Riel: Justice and Mercy Denied, The Metis: Memorable Events and Memorable Personalities, and The Métis in British Columbia: From Fur Trade Outposts to Colony. - Dylan MinerDylan MinerDylan A. T. Miner is an artist, activist, and art historian who focuses on Indigenous and anti-colonial issues. Miner is from Michigan and is of Métis descent....
, is a Métis printmaker, writer and conceptual artist. - Ry Moran, a Métis singer/songwriter/composer, is noted for his musical works dealing with Métis history, conflict and cultural rebirth. Ry has been nominated for a number of significant music awards alongside being recognized as a National Aboriginal Youth Role Model in 2008-2009.
- Christine WelshChristine WelshChristine Welsh is a Métis filmmaker, feminist and academic in Canada. She has produced, written and directed films for more than 30 years. Welsh's film credits include the 2006 National Film Board of Canada documentary Finding Dawn, about murdered and missing Canadian Aboriginal women...
, a documentary filmmaker and academic.
Politicians, activists, lawyers, and judges
- Rod BruinoogeRod BruinoogeRod E. Bruinooge is a Canadian politician, businessman, and filmmaker. He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South in the 2006 federal election, and was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and the Federal Interlocutor for Métis...
, a Métis is Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South (Conservative Party of Canada), he was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs & Northern Development and the Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians from 2005 until the fall of 2008. - Todd DucharmeTodd DucharmeTodd Ducharme is a Canadian judge. In 2004, he was the first Métis to be appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University, a Master of Arts in Political Science degree from Yale University, a Bachelor of Law degree in 1986 from the...
, a Métis, was appointed as a judge in 2004 of the OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
Supreme Court of Justice. - Shelly GloverShelly GloverShelly A. Glover is a Canadian politician, and is currently the Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Saint Boniface, Manitoba. She is a member of the Conservative Party and is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance.Glover won the riding in the 2008 federal election,...
, a Métis is Member of Parliament for Saint-Boniface (Conservative Party of Canada). She is Parliamentary Secretary for Official Languages. - Rabble.ca editor and Canadian anti-war movement leader Derrick O'KeefeDerrick O'KeefeDerrick O'Keefe is a Canadian Vancouver-based writer and social justice activist. He is the former editor of rabble.ca, Canada's most widely-read progressive website, and his writings on foreign policy, Canadian politics, ecology and other topics have been published in a number of both alternative...
is of partial Métis ancestry, and has Métis membership. - Former British Columbia New Democratic PartyNew Democratic PartyThe New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
Leader Carole JamesCarole JamesCarole Alison James, MLA is a Canadian politician and former public administrator. She is the former Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia and former leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party , a social democratic political party...
is of partial Métis ancestry. - Former Canadian Prime Minister Paul MartinPaul MartinPaul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
is of Métis ancestry through his maternal line. - Colleen Klein, wife of former AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
Premier Ralph Klein, is of Métis ancestry. - Pierre Leon Muise, Acadian and Métis, was appointed a Nova Scotia provincial judge in 2009.
Sports
- Sharon BruneauSharon BruneauSharon Leigh Bruneau is a professional Canadian female bodybuilder and fitness competitor.-Biography:Sharon, a French-Canadian Métis, was born in the mining city of Timmins, Ontario...
, a female bodybuilder and fitness model - Kevin O'TooleKevin O'Toole (bodybuilder)----Kevin O'Toole is a Canadian bodybuilder and mixed martial artist.-Background:O'Toole is of Métis and Irish background and grew up in the cities New Westminster and North Vancouver, British Columbia. He played hockey in both cities up to the Midget 'A' level...
, 1996 North American Light heavyweight bodybuildingBodybuildingBodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...
champion. - NHL star defencemen Sheldon SouraySheldon SouraySheldon Sharik Souray is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League . He has previously played for the Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, who originally drafted him 71st overall in 1994, and the Montreal Canadiens...
and Wade ReddenWade ReddenWade Redden is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing in the New York Rangers organization for its American Hockey League affiliate, the Connecticut Whale. He joined the New York Rangers in 2008 after 11 seasons with the Ottawa Senators...
are of Métis ancestry. - MMAMixed martial artsMixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
fighter Kalib StarnesKalib StarnesKalib Axel Starnes is a retired Canadian mixed martial artist of Metis descent. He was featured in the third season of the reality TV series, The Ultimate Fighter...
is also a Métis. - NHL hockey player Rene BourqueRene BourqueRené Gary Wayne Bourque is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who currently plays for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League . An undrafted player, Bourque was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks as a free agent in 2004 and made his NHL debut in 2005–06...
, from Lac La BicheLac La BicheLac la Biche is a large lake in north-central Alberta, Canada. It is located along the Northern Woods and Water Route, 95 km east of Athabasca.Lac la Biche has a total area of , including islands area...
, AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, is also a Métis - Arron AshamArron AshamArron Asham is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, professional ice hockey player - Atlanta Flames first round draft pick Vic MercrediVic MercrediVictor Dennis Mercredi is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger of Métis ancestry.-Hockey career:...
Others
- Architect Douglas CardinalDouglas CardinalDouglas Joseph Cardinal, OC is a Canadian architect.Born of Métis and Blackfoot heritage, Cardinal is famous for flowing architecture marked with smooth lines, influenced by his Aboriginal heritage as well as European Expressionist architectureIn 1953, he attended the University of British...
is of Métis and BlackfootBlackfootThe Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
ancestry. - Actress Tantoo CardinalTantoo CardinalRose Marie "Tantoo" Cardinal, CM is a Canadian film and television actress.-Career:Cardinal was born in Anzac, Fort McMurray, Alberta. Her mother, Julia Cardinal, was a Métis of Cree descent...
is of Métis and CreeCreeThe Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
ancestry - Jon Gallant is bassist for the Canadian band Billy TalentBilly TalentBilly Talent is a Canadian post-hardcore band from Streetsville, Ontario. They formed in 1993 with Ben Kowalewicz as the lead vocalist, Ian D'Sa on lead guitar, bassist Jon Gallant and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk ....
. - Hypnotist Scott Ward is of Ojibway / Métis ancestry.
- Actor Dakota House is of Cree / Métis ancestry.
- City of Castlegar BC Fire Chief Gerry Rempel is of Métis ancestry
See also
- List of Canadian Aboriginal leaders
- List of Canadian Inuit
- List of First Nations people
- Notable Aboriginal people of CanadaNotable Aboriginal people of CanadaOver the course of centuries, many Aboriginal Canadians have played a critical role in shaping the history of Canada. From art and music, to law and government, to sports and war; Aboriginal customs and culture have had a strong influences on defining Canadian culture...