Resources for teaching about Métis culture and history

The Métis--a distinct cultural group indigenous to the Americas--gets short shrift in Montana history.

These descendants of European (often French, Irish and Scottish) fur traders and American Indian (often Ojibwe, Chippewa, and Cree) women have a complex history that crosses the U.S.-Canada border. The Métis as one of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada; in the United States, they are not recognized as a separate nation. In Montana, many Métis are members of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana, which has state recognition but (as of September 2019) remains in a battle for federal recognition.

Want to include the Métis in your curriculum but don't know where to start? Check out these resources.

Elementary

MHS Program Specialist Deb Mitchell recently created a short (30-50 minute) PowerPoint-based lesson plan to introduce the Métis to students grades three through six: "Who Are the Métis?"

In looking to include information about the Métis on the Lewis and Clark Expedition as part of our footlocker revamp, we discovered a great book called The Flower Beadwork People, written and illustrated by Sherry Farrell Racette and published by the Gabriel Dumont Institute. Elementary librarians: I highly recommend this book for your collection.

You can find coloring sheets and other downloadable resources from the website of the Métis Nation British Columbia.

Upper Grades

The Métis of British Columbia: Culture, History, and the Contemporary Community is an online version of a DVD project created to help disseminate information on Métis history and culture. It includes many short videos, including ones on music and dance and other aspects of culture. There are two main sections: Culture, History, and Hunting, and Music and Dance. Although it is from Canada, the material is relevant to Montana as well. I highly recommend the 17-minute introductory video and can imagine this would make a great site for a web quest or some sort of group research project.

"Sun Dance in Silver Bow: Urban Indian Poverty in the Shadow of the Richest Hill on Earth" is a PowerPoint-based lesson plan that explores the complexity underpinning the change-over (or reconfiguration) of the West (and particularly Montana) from Aboriginal lands into Euro-American hands at the end of the nineteenth century. This PowerPoint was created by the late Nicholas Vrooman for an educator workshop--you'll need to review and modify it to work in your classroom.

"Montana's Landless Indians and the Assimilation Era of Federal Indian Policy: A Case of Contradiction" is a week-long primary-source based unit designed to introduce students to the history of the landless Métis, Cree, and Chippewa Indians in Montana between 1889 and 1916, while giving them an opportunity to do their own guided analysis of historical and primary source materials. Students wrestle with issues of perspective, power, ideology, and prejudice and closely examine the role Montana newspapers played in shaping public opinion toward the tribes’ attempts to maintain economic independence and gain a land base and political recognition. The material is difficult and works best with eleventh or twelfth graders--or college students.

The Gabriel Dumont Institute has an abundance of resources--so many that I find the site a bit daunting. For those interested in incorporating Métis history into art, there is a great tutorial on finger-weaving, along with the history of the Métis sash.


Do you teach Métis history and culture? What resources do you use? Email me and I'll share them out.