Labrador Metis Nation
Labrador Metis Nation www.labmetis.org
Métis people are those of a mixed decent.The Métis of Labrador are unique, having ancestors of Inuit, Innu, French, Scottish, and English origins.Primarily, the Métis of Labrador are descendants of European men and Inuit women.
It is a common misconception that the only true Métis in Canada are Prairie Métis.People often fail to realize that groups of Native and Settlers in Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Labrador are also Métis.
Métis people were not recognized as an aboriginal group in Canada until the 1982, repatriated and amended Canadian Constitution.
The Métis people of Labrador are situated in large numbers in the Lake Melville area and in southern Labrador, from Lake Melville down to Mary’s Harbour and some areas of the Straits.
Métis view themselves as members of the aboriginal community but feel that the current land boundary disputes are jeopardizing their aboriginal status in the community.
Like the Innu and Inuit, the Métis had to adopt the aboriginal way of life to survive on the land in Labrador.However, they incorporated both the practices and beliefs Labrador aboriginal groups and the Europeans, to adapt to the region in their own unique way.
Like many groups in Labrador, the Métis were season oriented, they fished and hunted seals and waterfowl in the summer months on the coast, while trapping and hunting in the forested bays and coves during the winter months.
Fur and fish prices dropped with the stock market crash of 1929, further weakening the unstable, often meager though highly meaningful, subsistence-based economy.
Some Inuit and Métis families moved to Goose Bay either temporarily or permanently in 1941 when construction on the air base began.Many Métis families were looking for a new way of life.
The province of Newfoundland and Labrador closed many small Métis settlements in the 1960’s and centralized people in villages which were believed to offer greater opportunities.
It is a common misconception that the only true Métis in Canada are Prairie Métis.People often fail to realize that groups of Native and Settlers in Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Labrador are also Métis.
Métis people were not recognized as an aboriginal group in Canada until the 1982, repatriated and amended Canadian Constitution.
The Métis people of Labrador are situated in large numbers in the Lake Melville area and in southern Labrador, from Lake Melville down to Mary’s Harbour and some areas of the Straits.
Métis view themselves as members of the aboriginal community but feel that the current land boundary disputes are jeopardizing their aboriginal status in the community.
Like the Innu and Inuit, the Métis had to adopt the aboriginal way of life to survive on the land in Labrador.However, they incorporated both the practices and beliefs Labrador aboriginal groups and the Europeans, to adapt to the region in their own unique way.
Like many groups in Labrador, the Métis were season oriented, they fished and hunted seals and waterfowl in the summer months on the coast, while trapping and hunting in the forested bays and coves during the winter months.
Fur and fish prices dropped with the stock market crash of 1929, further weakening the unstable, often meager though highly meaningful, subsistence-based economy.
Some Inuit and Métis families moved to Goose Bay either temporarily or permanently in 1941 when construction on the air base began.Many Métis families were looking for a new way of life.
The province of Newfoundland and Labrador closed many small Métis settlements in the 1960’s and centralized people in villages which were believed to offer greater opportunities.
Metis Governance
The Labrador Métis Association was established in 1985, and was changed to the Labrador Métis Nation in 1998.
The Labrador Métis are advocating that their aboriginal roots be acknowledged by federal and provincial governments.For more information visit www.labmetis.org.
The Labrador Métis are advocating that their aboriginal roots be acknowledged by federal and provincial governments.For more information visit www.labmetis.org.
Labrador Metis
