Métis
Encyclopedia
A Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial, or the descendant of such persons. The term is of French origin, and also is a cognate
of mestizo
in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English. In the Western Hemisphere, this term usually is used to describe someone born or descended from the union of a European and an Amerindian. However, the term was used by other groups around the world, mostly in countries which were under French influence, such as Vietnam. It is still commonly used by Francophones today for any multiracial
person.
A similar word, Mestee is derived from Middle French
Mestis , which became Métis in modern French. This is cognate to the words mestizo
in Spanish and mestiço in Portuguese. All of these words are ultimately derived from Latin
mixtus, meaning "mixed". Many dictionaries, however, incorrectly attribute the word "Mestee" to a corruption of mestizo.
American Indian
scholar Jack D. Forbes
attempted to revive "Mestee" as a term for the old mixed-race groups in his 1993 book Africans and Native Americans: The Language of Race and the Evolution of Red-Black Peoples. The term is not commonly used in the US.
and French
men to Cree
, Saulteaux
, and Ojibwa
women in southern Rupert's Land
starting in the late 17th century, and the marriages of French women to Ojibway men starting in Quebec
in the middle 17th century. Anglo- as opposed to Franco-Métis in Canada were at one time distinguished by language, the Franco-Métis speaking French and the Anglo-Métis (then known as the Country-born) speaking Bungee, a pidgin language derived from Scotch-Gaelic and Cree. The use of Bungee has waned and Anglo-Métis increasingly identify simply as undifferentiated Métis or as undifferentiated anglophone Canadians with aboriginal antecedents.
Their constitutional rights are represented by a growing number of organisations in Canada, such as the Metis Nation of Canada (MNOC)(www.metisnationofcanada.com) a membership which represents Metis People from all of Canada, the Quebec Metis Nation, the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), and the Métis National Council (MNC), and the United States. The MNC voices issues (mainly of self-government) directly to the Government of Canada and internationally, but these issues are usually limited to the Métis of the western regions of Canada. Other Canadian organizations serving Métis interests include the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples
in Canada. The recently founded Council of Diaspora Métis is an organization serving Métis people living outside of North America, usually within the territory of the European Union
.
Cognate
In linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...
of mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English. In the Western Hemisphere, this term usually is used to describe someone born or descended from the union of a European and an Amerindian. However, the term was used by other groups around the world, mostly in countries which were under French influence, such as Vietnam. It is still commonly used by Francophones today for any multiracial
Multiracial
The terms multiracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestries come from multiple races. Unlike the term biracial, which often is only used to refer to having parents or grandparents of two different races, the term multiracial may encompass biracial people but can also include people with...
person.
A similar word, Mestee is derived from Middle French
Middle French
Middle French is a historical division of the French language that covers the period from 1340 to 1611. It is a period of transition during which:...
Mestis , which became Métis in modern French. This is cognate to the words mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
in Spanish and mestiço in Portuguese. All of these words are ultimately derived from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
mixtus, meaning "mixed". Many dictionaries, however, incorrectly attribute the word "Mestee" to a corruption of mestizo.
American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
scholar Jack D. Forbes
Jack D. Forbes
Jack D. Forbes was a Native-American writer, scholar and political activist. He is best known for his book, Columbus and Other Cannibals, which has become a primary text of the Anti-civilization Movement....
attempted to revive "Mestee" as a term for the old mixed-race groups in his 1993 book Africans and Native Americans: The Language of Race and the Evolution of Red-Black Peoples. The term is not commonly used in the US.
Terminology
In Canada, the term usually designates a constitutionally recognized individual born of an Aboriginal group, descended primarily from the marriages of ScottishScottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
and French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
men to Cree
Cree
The 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...
, Saulteaux
Saulteaux
The Saulteaux are a First Nation in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada.-Ethnic classification:The Saulteaux are a branch of the Ojibwe nations. They are sometimes also called Anihšināpē . Saulteaux is a French term meaning "people of the rapids," referring to...
, and Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
women in southern Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land, or Prince Rupert's Land, was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin that was nominally owned by the Hudson's Bay Company for 200 years from 1670 to 1870, although numerous aboriginal groups lived in the same territory and disputed the...
starting in the late 17th century, and the marriages of French women to Ojibway men starting in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in the middle 17th century. Anglo- as opposed to Franco-Métis in Canada were at one time distinguished by language, the Franco-Métis speaking French and the Anglo-Métis (then known as the Country-born) speaking Bungee, a pidgin language derived from Scotch-Gaelic and Cree. The use of Bungee has waned and Anglo-Métis increasingly identify simply as undifferentiated Métis or as undifferentiated anglophone Canadians with aboriginal antecedents.
Their constitutional rights are represented by a growing number of organisations in Canada, such as the Metis Nation of Canada (MNOC)(www.metisnationofcanada.com) a membership which represents Metis People from all of Canada, the Quebec Metis Nation, the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), and the Métis National Council (MNC), and the United States. The MNC voices issues (mainly of self-government) directly to the Government of Canada and internationally, but these issues are usually limited to the Métis of the western regions of Canada. Other Canadian organizations serving Métis interests include the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples
Congress of Aboriginal Peoples
Congress of Aboriginal Peoples founded in 1971 as the Native Council of Canada, is a Canadian aboriginal organization, that represents Aboriginal Peoples who live off Indian reserves, either in urban and rural areas across Canada.Each CAP affiliate has its own constitution and is separately...
in Canada. The recently founded Council of Diaspora Métis is an organization serving Métis people living outside of North America, usually within the territory of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
See also
- BasterBasterThe Basters are the descendants of Cape Colony Dutch and indigenous African women. They largely live in Namibia and are similar to Coloured or Griqua people in South Africa....
- Métis people (Canada)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...
- Métis people (USA)Métis people (USA)Métis people are an indigenous people of mixed Native American/First Nations and European ancestry. Some Métis also have African or/and Asian or/and Pacific Islander ancestry; but Métis people with African ancestry are usually considered "Black"....
- Anglo-MétisAnglo-MétisA 19th-century community of the Métis people of Canada, the Anglo-Métis, more commonly known as Countryborn, were children of fur traders; they typically had Orcadian, Scottish, or English fathers and Aboriginal mothers. Their first languages were generally those of their mothers: Cree, Saulteaux,...
- Half-casteHalf-casteHalf-caste is a term used to describe people of mixed race or ethnicity. Caste comes from the Latin castus, meaning pure, and the derivative Portuguese and Spanish casta, meaning race...
- MultiracialMultiracialThe terms multiracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestries come from multiple races. Unlike the term biracial, which often is only used to refer to having parents or grandparents of two different races, the term multiracial may encompass biracial people but can also include people with...
- Kahnawake surnamesKahnawake surnamesThe Mohawk Nation reserve of Kahnawake, near Montreal, Quebec, Canada, includes residents with surnames of Mohawk, French, Scots and English ancestry, reflecting the adoption of European children into the community, as well as intermarriage with local colonial settlers over the life of the early...