miyoonakishkatoohk (let us begin together)

Stories that reflect people’s historicity, worldview, emotions, enactments, and mobilizations are profoundly important in solidifying and validating people’s identity and self-understandings. Stories can allow people, as individuals and communities, to navigate relationships, with themselves and others, in healthy and nurturing ways. As Métis, we have the stories, but they are often dismissed or not provided the dedicated space they deserve. Trying to understand ourselves in a seemingly new and changing environment – the urban landscape – is particularly important for future generations of Métis to be able to know who they are so they can live well and flourish as Métis in urban ecologies. I know we have the stories; we embody the stories; we are the stories, yet we need to gather and share of who we are and the practices we are enacting daily that affirm our sense of self in relation. Particularly, as a Michif person, I’ve learned from my ancestors that these interactions include all beings, stars, land, plants, animals – it’s not just humans. I am inspired and encouraged each day by the practice of ourselves in relationship/s.

This dissertation strives to give voice to everyday practices that signify Métis people are alive and well — we are here and have every right to belong. Miyoonakishkatoohk (let us begin together) as I take you through the stories of the inquiry of Métis understandings with/in/through the city to acknowledge kaa-waakohtoochik: the ones who are related to each other. The inquiry includes stories of myself and seven Métis individuals, born and raised in cities, who are practicing our Métis self-understandings everyday. This research strives to provide narratives, both individual and collective, to illustrate Métis as dynamic and multifaceted people whom engage in multidimensional relationships that reaffirm our identity and belonging. Métis people face misconceptions of how we are perceived to be, but through this work and accompanying literature already offered by other Métis folks, those narratives are disrupted and our truths are presented that tell of our cultural lineages and historicity affirming we are still alive and well, even in the city! This is a small collection of stories, many more need to be shared in order to detail a larger diverse picture of Métis People. I do not speak for all Métis, but offer this small narrative to contribute to current and future research endeavours that articulate and celebrate Métis brilliance. Ekoshi.

 Michif niyanaan (I am Michif)

Taanishi, Victoria Bouvier, dishinikawshon Michif niyanaan ma kayash paarantii la rivyar roozh pi Boggy Creek d’oshcin ni kipischi didaan Calgary, Alberta.

Hello, my name is Victoria Bouvier, I am Michif. My long ago relatives are from the Red River and Boggy Creek, I live in Calgary, Alberta.

I am the daughter of Ephram and Theresa Bouvier. My father, Ephram Bouvier was Michif. I am the granddaughter of Jean-Baptiste Bouvier and Victoria Malaterre, the great-granddaughter of Antoine Bouvier and Elise Martin, Joseph Malaterre and Anne Langan. I come from strong people who have always understood themselves as lii Michif (‘Métis people’) (Bouvier, 2019, p. 35). It is my responsibility to carry that with me for future generations. On my maternal side, my mother Theresa Bouvier (nee Wachtler) was German and Scottish. My grandmother was a Macdonald (Scottish) and my grandfather was a Wachtler (German). They married and lived in Milk River, Alta, before moving to Calgary in the late 60’s. My mom and dad lived in Calgary and raised five children. I had a combined family with three brothers and four sisters, three have moved on to the spirit world.

Navigating the dissertation

Here I offer you a process of how you might navigate the dissertation and engage with the ‘text’. Designed with layered text, photos, and videos, this aesthetic is chosen to acknowledge the oral and written knowledge systems that guided this inquiry. Moreover, the choice to have a website, organized in this way, points to the cyclical and circular nature of storytelling. Seeing the inquiry laid out before you offers an opportunity to interact with the work in circular or linear ways, whichever is suitable to you. The video provided, navigating the dissertation, illustrates the content of the website and what you will engage with. I hope you enjoy. Maarsii