More than the Sum of Our Rebellions: Metis Histories beyond Batoche

• Published in: Ethnohistory
• Main Author: Andersen, Chris
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Duke University Press 2014
• Subjects: Special Section I: Unexpected Ethnohistories: In; of; and out of Place; Canada; Metis
• Online Access: http://ethnohistory.dukejournals.org/cgi/content/short/61/4/619; https://doi.org/10.1215/00141801-2717795

Anchored in public memory discussions most recently inaugurated by Pierre Nora's distinction between “sites” and “environments” of memory, this article juxtaposes the official telling of Métis history in national historic sites (in this case, the Batoche National Historic Site in Batoche, Saskatchewan, located in western Canada) with that of more vernacular histories rooted in its postrebellion era. Who are the Métis of the Batoche National Historic Site? When does their history end at Batoche and why? This article seeks to explore Métis extended families' and communities' distinctive and complex forms of identity that, while rooted in nineteenth-century experiences, share little in common with narratives produced in official celebratory practices. What does more recent, vernacular history reveal about the simplistic correlations often drawn between historical events and contemporary Métis identities and issues, and how can such vernacular history help us to reconceive Métis identity rooted not in nineteenth-century difference but in twentieth-century density ?