What does it mean to be Métis?
Young Métis people talk about carrying their culture forward
As a Métis person you are not only caught between two cultures, but are also part of a culture unique unto itself.
The feeling of not fitting in — or not knowing where one fits in — is something that many Métis people experience.
And even though the culture is celebrated today, it was not always the case.
So what does being Métis mean in 2016?
Identity hidden
"I grew up being regaled with stories or tales of [my family's] upbringing, all of which have very obvious tidbits of the Métis culture in them," says Jayme Menzies, from Manitoba.
"But if you asked my mother and my [grandmother] if they were Métis, they would deny it still. Unfortunately they grew up in a time when they were encouraged to deny that blood in their culture."
Learning from your history
Talula Schlegel sees the value in looking back and understanding where her family came from.
"Not everything in your life is stable, but your past is fixed," said Schlegel.
"There's kind of a beauty to touching back with where you came from and seeing if that's something that you really relate to, and I think bringing that back to present day is really vital for furthering who you are as a person."
100 Métis website
You can find Schlegel's and Menzies' stories on a new website, 100 Métis. It features video submissions from people across the country telling personal stories about their identity, and highlights how vast and diverse the culture is.
The project was started by siblings Janelle and Jérémie Wookey, who are Franco-Métis. The idea of the project came out of an interview the Wookeys did with late Métis elder, Augustine Abraham — who is the great niece of Louis Riel.
In the interview Abrahams mentioned that her wish for the future of the Métis people was for youth to be proud of their heritage, and [to] unify. The Wookeys took Abraham's wish to heart, and started the website.
Carry the culture forward
"I feel like it's my responsibility, because I don't have to feel that shame … and I'm allowed to just be myself," said Menzies.
"I am a proud Métis and I will continue to actively speak about and exercise that culture, and I hope future generations will do the same."
"I hope that the … traditional culture will actually continue and maybe even grow," said Lagimodiere.
"I think that sometimes we lose a bit of that, and it's important that the young people today embrace it and try to learn about it and have an understanding so that going forward it's not lost."
With files from CBC News