Rise in interest in Métis history 'energizes our community,' Winnipeg woman says

Reconnecting with Métis heritage can be a sensitive and delicate process, and one that doesn't come with a clear roadmap. But it's a journey more people are starting to embark on, and that alone is something to celebrate.

"It energizes our community and our culture," says Janelle Wookey.

Wookey first learned about her Métis heritage when she was 12 years old, but it wasn't until she was in her 20's that she truly began her journey to reconnection. 

Feeling connected to her Métis heritage didn't happen overnight, and she admits the process can be uncomfortable to navigate at times.

"It's one step at a time. And it can be a really, really beautiful thing when done with a full heart," Wookey said.

As co-owner of Wookey Films, she credits her career in video production for giving her the opportunity to explore her culture through storytelling.

Fifteen years later, Wookey finally feels confident owning her Métis identity. 

"I don't know if I'll ever feel the way that somebody can feel when they've known about that part of themselves for as long as they can remember," she said.

But she wants to ensure her three daughters do get to feel that way. The next step in her reconnection journey is passing along what she's learned.

"I am making my best effort to do that with my own kids ... so that they never remember a day when they didn't know that they were Métis."

More people seeking proof of ancestry

Halley Ducharme is the genealogist at the St. Boniface Historical Society. Métis herself, she helps people take one of the first steps in the reconnection process: confirming Métis ancestry.

In the last two years, the historical society has seen requests for proof of Métis ancestry double. They currently receive between 150 and 200 requests a month.

With the help of submitted documents like birth certificates, marriage licenses, and a family tree, Ducharme searches through newspaper articles, obituaries and national archives for connection to Métis lineage.

"I have clients that are born in the early 2000s, to the 1980s, to people in their 70s and 80s. I just finished a genealogy for someone turning 100 this year," Ducharme said.

While the St. Boniface Historical Society cannot determine if someone is Métis, they can confirm if they had a Métis ancestor. That genealogy report is a first step toward citizenship through the Manitoba Métis Federation.

It's an emotional process. Recently, Ducharme had a client cry on the phone when she was finally able to share the results of the search.

For many families, their Métis heritage was hidden as a means of survival, so discovering or verifying that lineage can be a relief.

"These connections to our history were either hidden or robbed from us, through malice and through an attempt to protect us," said Wookey.

The hidden generations

Leah LaPlante recalls a time when she was shamed for being Métis. At school, she was taunted and teased for being "half-breed." 

Now she's vice president at the Manitoba Métis Federation Inc. (Southwest Region) and the minister of citizenship.

After graduation, she moved to Alberta to work. On the first day of her job, one of her co-workers asked where she was from. Her maiden name sounded Italian, and LaPlante told her colleagues that her family was from Italy.

"I understand why so many people kept their true identity locked up in their bibles and in their photograph books," LaPlante said.

"A lot of our people who weren't ready to publicly declare who they were, are now publicly declaring who they are. And so we've seen a very noticeable increase in new citizens," she said.

LaPlante says that one of MMF's functions is to help people reconnect with their heritage if they don't have close family members to help guide them.

"There's great joy in doing that, especially for those of us who are old enough to have been around when things were not so good."