Talk:Metis in the United States

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Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

40px This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 4 September 2019 and 6 December 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Uottawa08.

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Contributing to this article

Please ensure changes to this article follow Wikipedia guidelines. For example, if you are going to make a claim that many Métis groups exist, you need to include a source that supports that claim. Also, Wikipedia is not a place to include personal essays. If you want to encourage people to contact their local political representative, do so on your website, not here. --Kmsiever 21:37, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

Understanding

Dear Sir/ Madame,

I understand what you are saying about the personal opinion, but seriously, did you really have to delete ALL of the sources which I had put? They are REAL sources which can help people in their quest to find who they are. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Royalty90 (talkcontribs) 16:23, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

:First, there were no sources used in the article to support any of the claims made. Second, Wikipedia isn't about helping "people in their quest to find who they are"; it's about providing factual, verifiable information. --Kmsiever 17:27, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

:Some of them might be acceptable as external links, as long as they are mainly informative and not about political advocacy. Asarelah 03:39, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

::EXACTLY! That is what I mean! Thank you! Hereditary Prince Richard 05:30, 10 October 2007 (UTC)

What happened to the historical American Metis communities?

Canadian history books often discuss the Metis communities along the Sun River in Montana (where Louis Riel lived for several years, see article on him) and at Pembina in what is now North Dakota (which was as big as Metis settlements at Red River, see article on this). Can anyone provide any history on these Metis communities in the states on this page?

- Wyldkat October 19, 2007

:Take a look at Chippewa-Cree and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. It seems to me that where the Metis existed as distinct communities, they were absorbed by the prairie Ojibwe tribes. The novels of Louise Erdrich give a fascinating story of the Pembina/Red River area south of the 49th. Of course, there were plenty of Metis(usually traders) among the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi around the Great Lakes. Their descendants are found absorbed into those Native communities or in the surrounding white communities oftentimes identifying as "French-Canadian" or simply "Canadian." Really though, I question the need for a separate Metis people (USA) article given that by and large, they have the same origins and history.Leo1410 (talk) 02:55, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

Merge?

{{dtop|result=Merged. See also Talk:Métis#Merge. MorningThoughts (talk) 16:40, 27 January 2020 (UTC)}}

This article is unsourced and what is sourced is largely duplicated in Métis people (Canada). My understanding is that the Métis are basically the same cultural grouping, no matter which side of the Canadian/US border they happen to be on. I'm thinking what is useful in this article might be best merged to the Canadian article, with the resultant title Métis people. Thoughts? - Kathryn NicDhàna 02:13, 23 November 2009 (UTC)

:*Very strongly agree for all the reasons stated. No information would be lost, and I think the key point is that keeping them as two separate articles might give the mistaken impression that Métis people in Canada and the US have some fundamental difference. That said, the text will need to be reworked as I'm pretty sure that Métis in Canada are afforded greater recognition than their American cousins. -- Chabuk T • C ] 06:29, 23 November 2009 (UTC)

Strong Agree Metis is a specific ethnic group not a catch-all term for anyone of mixed heritage. We don't have separate articles for Ojibwa (Canada) and Ojibwa (United States), and we shouldn't have separate ones for Metis. There is a risk that this article could become a POV sounding board for the "Metis identity movement" (whatever that is--sounds like the latest version of the Wannabe tribe to me). If someone has reliable sources and wants to write an article about Metis Identity Movement or Legal Status of Metis in the United States that sort of information should go there. This article is about the ethnic group that emerged in the 17th and 18th century along the Great Lakes and what is now the US-Canadian border. It is unhistorical and makes little sense to me why wikipedia would consider the descendants of the Metis in Sault Ste. Marie as two different peoples according to what side of the river they're on, or for that matter, the Red River Metis north and south of 49. Leo1410 (talk) 22:17, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

:Weak Agree In general I agree with the sentiments but the issue is a little more complex what is being suggested so I would encourage taking care to think through these things before rushing to change:

::* Métis is a very vague term. There are two major groups in North America that are most commonly associated with the term: the Atlantic Métis of the Acadia region, and the Red River Métis. The latter is arguably the more recognized group. But indeed there have been other North American groups that have been called Métis (some would argue that they have been incorrectly called Métis). And certainly in other parts of the francophone world there are lots of different people called Métis.

::* The articles Métis people and Métis already exist (first redirected to the second) acting as a sort of disambig (a bad one at that).

::* Though the Red-River Métis in the U.S. descend from the same group as their Canadian brethren they have been separated for long enough that there are ethnic differences. Among other things what I have read says that the Michif language has mostly been lost by the Canadians whereas it is still a significant part of the culture in the U.S. This does not necessarily mean two articles are appropriate but one should bear in mind that the border has made a difference.

::Perhaps the correct thing is something like the following:

::* Métis - Make it a more proper disambig

::* Red-River Métis - Independent sections for the Canadian and U.S. groups discussing the cultural distinctions that have evolved

::* Acadian Métis (or Atlantic Métis)

::* Anglo-Métis, which already exists

::* Maybe articles on other Métis groups in the world

: --Mcorazao (talk) 16:32, 7 December 2009 (UTC)

Very Strongly Agree, merge the articles for reasons stated by others Skates61 (talk) 21:04, 19 June 2011 (UTC)

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