CENTRE DU PATRIMOINE, A KEY PLAYER IN MÉTIS RECOGNITION
Many Metis, or persons wanting to be recognized as such, make use of the Genealogical Research Services at the Centre du patrimoine heritage centre of the St. Boniface Historical Society / Société historique de Saint-Boniface (SHSB). Executive Director, Gilles Lesage, explains: "We connect a person to an ancestor who has been officially recognized as Métis. Because this type of document was only produced in Western Canada, it allows us to identify the Métis ancestor for the Métis people of the Red River Valley." Centre du patrimoine currently processes approximately 100 requests for proof of Métis ancestry a month, and the demand is steadily increasing. Identifying a Métis ancestor requires going back a long way. "Documents from 1870 to 1920 can establish whether that there were Métis ancestors in the bloodline of the person making the request. At that time, during treaty negotiations, people declared themselves Métis and were recognized by an official document that confirmed their status. We can often make the connection between the applicant and the ancestor who obtained this record, known as a "scrip." The other possibility that is also quite common is to make the connection between the person and the ancestor who identified as Métis in a census. We can also consult baptism or marriage registers from that period." The cost of the genealogical research request is usually $75. Thanks to financial support from the MMF, Centre du patrimoine has been able to reduce the price to $25 per application. Once the research has been done, it is up to the MMF to decide whether the applicant is part of the Métis Nation and if a Métis citizenship card should be issued. Every day, Janet LaFrance, a Certified Genealogist at SHSB's Centre du patrimoine, works on new files. She feels useful in her work as a ‘roots researcher'. "I believe people have a right to their cultural identity. There are so many Métis and First Nations people who lost that because of Canadian history and colonization. Examining their genealogy so they can hold it in their hand helps them reclaim their identity." Janet LaFrance fondly recalls a woman who discovered her Métis origins: "This woman had been adopted and knew next to nothing about her birth family. She only knew her mother's name. She was able to contact her birth mother just to finish the genealogy. When it was completed, she cried because she was so happy. This work was very important to her."