What is Métis Culture?
Grade 6 Lesson
OUTCOMES:
Arts Education
CH6.1 - Investigate how personal, cultural, or regional identity may be reflected in
arts expressions.
CH6.2 - Identify ways that First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists express cultural
identity in contemporary work.
CH6.3 - Investigate arts expressions from a range of cultures and countries, and
analyze how cultural identity is reflected in the work.
Social Studies
IN6.2 - Examine the social and cultural diversity that exists in the world, as
exemplified in Canada and a selection of countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean.
MATERIALS:
MOTIVATIONAL SET:
 Book: Dancing in my Bones by
Wilfred Burton and Anne Patton & CD
 CD Player
 Video from Multicultural Folk Dance
Treasure Chest – Volume 1
 TV and DVD/VHS player(s)
 Métis “symbols” pictures
 Listen to story: Dancing in my Bones
Before starting the story, ask students if
they know what the following words
mean: (These are Michif words used in the story
that may or may not be familiar to them.)
- “Ashtum óta” (pronounced
ash-tum-Oh-tah meaning come here)
- “lii beignes” (pronounced:
lee bangs meaning fried bannock)
- “Moushoom” pronounced
moosh-um meaning Grandfather)
- Nooshishim (pronounced
noo-she-shim meaning my grandson)
- “Oyhoy” (Yikes)
- “Tourtière” (pronounced
tore-tee-air meaning meat pie)
 Once the story is finished, ask students
if they have any of the foods mentioned
in the story during any of their family
G. Clyke
Prince Albert Catholic School Division
Fall 2009
gatherings. Do they call them the same
names?
-What were some of the Métis cultural
aspects to Nolin’s family?
-Do you think it would be considered
traditional?
PROCEDURE:
 Go into discussion of what else is
considered “Métis” culture. Using the
pictures, discuss examples such as the
Métis sash, red river wagon, Red River
jig/fiddle, beading, etc.
 A popular cultural aspect of the Métis
is jigging and fiddling. It is believed
the fiddle was introduced by the Irish
and French settlers. During the early
times, obtaining a fiddle was difficult,
so the Métis would make their own
fiddles.
 The music played was usually very
lively and joined in with a harmonica,
wooden spoons, etc. The Red River
Jig was a different kind of tune because
it didn’t follow “regular” music, which
gave it a different sound and beat.
Watch the video “Steps in Time II” –
Métis dancing.
 Using the video of “Multicultural Folk
Dance”, watch the dances from
GERMANY/d'hammerschmiedsgselin and
and compare
them to the Métis dancing. What
things are the same? What are
different?
 Why do you think the dances are
different? (Does “place” play a factor
in the dress and dance types?)
 Have students try doing the “Red River
Jig” by introducing them to a few of
the steps from the video.
MEXICO/El Jarabe Tapatio
CLOSURE:
OR
G. Clyke
Prince Albert Catholic School Division
Fall 2009
 Have students create a dance to one of
the songs from the CD. The “Red
River Jig” is the fastest song, “Emma’s
Memorial Waltz” is the slowest, and
“Isbister Jig” is a little slower than the
“Red River Jig”.
G. Clyke
Prince Albert Catholic School Division
Fall 2009