Belonging Metis Quotes

“Depending upon the nature of the cultural information received, the Métis person might decide to identify as First Nations exclusively. Some people may choose to identify as both First Nations and Métis; it is the federal government that requires people to choose one of the two. (p. 45)”
― Catherine Richardson, Belonging Metis

“A transformation or shift in one's conception of the cultural self can be difficult to explain to those who have not experienced a sudden shift in identity. (p. 44)”
― Catherine Richardson, Belonging Metis

“The more one realizes they are on a journey to find out who they are (where they come from, who their family is) when this information has been denied, the more it can be understood as a journey back to culture and identity... Stories can be a part of the glue that binds the personal with the social, allowing us to feel part of something greater. (p. 19)”
― Catherine Richardson, Belonging Metis

“While strategies of colonialism were about removing and seperating people from that which is most important to them, healing and recovery must be about restoring what has been taken, reconnecting people to the stories and context of one's life and family. (p. 19)”
― Catherine Richardson, Belonging Metis

“Narrative theory proposes that people take in experiences from the social world, which they then analyze and edit (p. 20)”
― Catherine Richardson, Belonging Metis

“...the story of Métis people choose to not speak openly about their ancestry may be the most common thread in Métis stories. (p. 32)”
― Catherine Richardson, Belonging Metis

“Stories provide a map that can help navigate the bumps in the road. (p.32)”
― Catherine Richardson, Belonging Metis

“Métis themes tend to come in strands that are closely woven together. In some aspects, it is difficult and inappropriate to separate these threads. (p.33)”
― Catherine Richardson, Belonging Metis

“Métis cultural stories play a crucial role in helping "new" Métis (those who have been denied their culture) to recreate their sense of self. (p. 37)”
― Catherine Richardson, Belonging Metis

“An elder once told me that stories and cultural practices are not lost. They are waiting in another realm for the right person to dream them and reintroduce them. The ancestors are waiting to pass them on to the right person. (p. 40)”
― Catherine Richardson, Belonging Metis

“Métis writer Joeanne Arnott (1994) notes that, "passing is one of the very few options for survival of a mixed-race people in virulently racist society" (59). The decision to withhold important information about cultural ancestry is one that causes pain and suffering in the long term. (p.39)”
― Catherine Richardson, Belonging Metis

“when cultural stories remain hidden and untold, they tend to disappear, at least temporarily, leaving one with a void of information about the self. (p.38)”
― Catherine Richardson, Belonging Metis

“Widespread cultural suffering for Métis people began around the time when the fur trade was nearing its end and the colonial period was beginning (Mackie, 1996) - p. 38”
― Catherine Richardson, Belonging Metis

“Stories are the medicine that fill in the gaps of the self and show us who we are. (p. 38)”
― Catherine Richardson, Belonging Metis