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About Us
The old term "medicine line" was once used by fleeing native people into what was a safety net into bordering and neighboring tribes of "the Queen's or Grandmother's Land". For others, it simply became a boundary that banished one from their homeland and relatives. Though economics may have been the original historic goal, the using of natives and mixed-bloods as a means to an end resulted in not only relocation of Metis families but also dissimilation of our culture. In the Pacific Northwest, our Metis ancestors faded into the background, after the arrival of the emigrants of the Overland Trail. Racial biases and slurs such as "breeds, squaw-men, and Indian-lovers" was intolerable, as was any form of inequality. Several French-Canadian communities were established or these mixed-bloods assimilated completely into the Indian Reservations. The Metis Nation learned to become "invisible". And, today we find that the general population does not know of the term "Metis", nor of the fact that we exist as a unique race of people. Canada uses the term "First Nations" which in itself concludes to an honoring of a people who preceded others; Metis identifies a nation of Euro-First Nation unions and their descendents.
Metis are the mixed-blood nation with Canada as its origin. We can be Spanish, Hawaiian (Konoka), Russian, Dutch, or Black Indian. We can be French, British, Scottish, or Irish Indian, or any combination of these first Canadian unions. And we will remain with this definition of Metis for those applying/qualifying for membership.
The word "society" depicts a clanmanship or a like-mindedness of objectives or goals. It strongly suggests similarities in lifestyles and beliefs. It also demonstrates a productive circle within another circle of society or humanity. Most Metis will agree upon a feeling of isolation or out-sidedness to mainstream society, just as our ancestors did. During the fur-trade era, and for one or two more generations thereafter, Metis in the Northwest remained a tight-knit society. Survival depended upon it. Racism and prejudges only reinforced their bonds to one another.
Now, 150 years later, we are hearing another call to band together as a society or nation, remembering our ancestors and our rich heritages, below the medicine line. We cordially invite you to become "visible" with us.
Disclaimer
I feel it necessary to share that though we identify ourselves with the greater Mètis Nation of Canada, where our Ancestors originated, membership is a non-status, unrecognizible membership by the United States as a legitimate tribe of people. There are rumors that Mètis memberships are given out in the States giving one the notion that tribal entitlements are given.
Our organization does give cards with its memberships but never proclaims any status with the governing bodies anywhere.
Uncle and myself participated in a living history 3 day encampment in NE Washington in 1997 that brought us together with a cousine from above the Medicine Line related through the Lucier line and was the turn of events that became the flame for the birth of this Mètis Organization which has been used as an outreach and teaching venue to find other Mètis cousines in order to help reinstate our forgotten culture to our personal lives and to be a resource to other Mètis. Our Plourde family was among the 1841 Mètis Migration from Red River Settlement (now Winnipeg) to what became known as French Prairie (upper Willamette Valley, Oregon).
For a full account of this migration read John C. Jackson's "Children of the Fur Trade: Forgotten Metis of the Pacific North West ". We use the Catholic Church Records of the Pacific North West as our source to family ties and lineages. See Harriet Duncan Munnick's translation which is still in print at http://www.oregonvos.net/~clenzen/mission.html
The St Paul Historical Society may be contacted directly for ordering: The St. Paul Mission Historical Society, 4225 Mission Ave. NE, PO Box 158, St. Paul, OR 97137-0158 or phone: 503-633-2501.
Thanks for the animated Metis flag Multimedia Palace
