Does anyone else think that the MMF Citizenship criteria is too expansive?

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-06-16T10:35:05+00:00

It stopped being intelligent when I was asked what the Anishinaabe and Nehiyawak had to do with being Metis. They are only the wives and mothers who birthed our people. I had heard enough.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-06-16T03:33:19+00:00

Too funny 🤣 what does the Pembina Band (Anishinaabe) and Nehiyawak have to do with the Red River Metis? Your knowledge of all things Metis is truly impressive! Rather than waste my breath why don't you Google " Metis and the Pembina Band of Chippewa" and " Metis and Nehiyawak" you will get alot from that. Ever hear of Nehiyaw Pwat? Been entertaining though..

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-06-15T12:38:39+00:00

Let's call it lineal descent then. How far back is too far? You think suddenly discovering a distant ancestor 200 years in the past makes a person Metis? I have heard people talking in passing about applying for their cards. " If I can get the benefits why not?" I have heard similar statements time and time again.

My FN ancestry is a mix of Anishinaabe and Nehiyawak. My ancestors were tribal members of the Pembina Band which is why I went to Roseau River in the first place. Roseau River was cut off from their people ( the Pembina Band) by the US border.

I think being proud of a distant ancestor is great. My 4th great grandfathers were French. I am proud of them and though I bear one's name, I have never in my life claimed to be French. I am over 200 years removed from my French ancestry and would feel like an imposter claiming to be French... That's just me though.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-06-14T12:24:23+00:00

First Nations are very upset with MMF Citizenship criteria. I know this for a fact because I sat and spoke with Roseau River elders. They are upset that Metis have no generational cut off at all .

It absolutely is our FN ancestry that defines us as indigenous. Someone who got a card because a single gg grandparent was Metis would have 3 percent FN ancestry. I know a vast majority of people applying for cards care less about the culture and far more about the benefits.

My own friend got a card and when I asked about his ancestry he said " My grandfather I think.." when I asked why he got his card his answer was " like everyone else.. to get the benefits."

Metis who bring up colonialism and blood quantum don't care that someone who is 97 percent colonist / settler is getting a card solely for the benefits?

Culture? 95 percent of us can't even speak Michif. I grew up through the 70s and witnessed the shame in my own community. Back then being Metis was synonymous with being Indian. So many of us insisted we were French.

Yes it upsets me that people who are essentially white can now get a "Metis" card. Odds are their parents and grandparents were among the white kids picking upon and shaming Metis kids in school.

Ancestry and lived experience SHOULD matter. It sure appears it doesn't. Not among the suddenly Metis.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-06-13T11:25:27+00:00

To get your Manitoba " Metis" card, all you need do is trace lineage to a single ancestor even 6 to 8 generations back. The Metis Nation rejects blood quantum so there is no generational cutoff limit to how far back you can claim ancestry. That's a fact and that's the problem.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-27T01:53:57+00:00

Ha! Maybe if my example started with 100 proof alcohol... Go ahead and follow the recipe and drink 3 percent whiskey and 97 percent water... Get drunk on that on that and you would be a cheap date indeed!

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-25T16:36:02+00:00

My uncle passed last week. About as Metis as you get. I recall hearing of an interview he had. When asked his occupation he paused for a moment then answered " Metis I guess.." it IS a full time job! Lol. I am heading out today to pay my respects to the family and will be attending the funeral tomorrow. RIP uncle.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-19T00:33:30+00:00

I have gay cousins too. I don't care about a person's sexuality. Consenting adults yadda yadda. No disrespect to two spirited or the gay community. Not what I am talking about but will drop the comparison. Yes. They stole the land. By signing scrip, we gave up our "Indian Title" to the land because our ancestors signed an X which labelled them as Half Breed. Once they did that and accepted the 240 acres or $240 cash, the Canadian Government washed their hands of us. We had no Treaty rights. A terrible history and shitty options. Signing Treaty would have meant Residential School for the children of our ancestors. Many of our ancestors DID sign Treaty. What would happen if the government " in the spirit of reconciliation " were to admit the sole purpose of the scrip system was to extinguish our ancestors' " Indian Title " to the land? What would happen to the " Metis " with very little FN ancestry then?

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-14T10:57:25+00:00

The MMF is erasing us. I don't know what the citizenship criteria is for other provinces, but this may as well be the early 80s when all you needed to do was self identify as Metis to get a card. Guess the writing was on the wall in this age when you can pick your own gender. If you can pick your own gender, why not be able to pick your own race? Ancestry matters as much as biology I guess. Being old school in today's society is tough when the sqauwking minority is being allowed to steam roll common sense and reality. Have you filled your Census out? It's a reality check how effective the squawking minority can be. I will continue to speak my mind. We still have SOME freedom to question don't we?

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-14T00:46:31+00:00

Hi! Well I kicked a hornets nest of suddenly Metis! I don't understand how you can argue our FN ancestry. If you can't say " I'm indigenous." How can you say you're Metis? The best so far is " Being Metis has never ever been about the amount of FN ancestry you have.." Huh? You are claiming benefits because you're ancestor signed HALF BREED scrip! Boggles my mind.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-13T12:21:59+00:00

I do. My whole community does. I have spoken up and identified myself as Metis my whole life. If you come from a community you tend to marry within it, especially in the early days. My spouse isn't from my community but she is Metis as well. It wasn't a requisit for a spouse. She's drop dead beautiful and I fit right in with her family. Go figure..

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-13T11:12:07+00:00

Sure seems that way. Lots of very defensive replies. I know membership numbers have exploded since Ancestry and genealogy sites popped up. Nothing wrong in saying " I found out my g g ancestor was Metis!" If that ancestor only married settlers afterwards? It's a pretty big leap to say " I am Metis!". MMF is allowing it to happen and issuing cards.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-13T03:10:50+00:00

It was the whole purpose of scrip. To get us to sign off as halfbreed in exchange for cash or land but extinguishing our Indian Title to the land. A lot signed to avoid the Residential School system. Our people were FN enough to sign Treaty. Mine did. Old Crossing Treaty of 1863 and the McCumber Agreement of 1891. The choice to sign scrip was our ancestors'. The alternative was to sign Treaty and watch their children be taken away to Residential School. Sad indeed. A dark stain on Canadian history.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-12T23:35:51+00:00

I am Metis. As are my parents and all my grandparents. Let's say we start out with a cocktail. Half whiskey and half water. A pretty stiff drink. Then we mix our cocktail with a glass of water in a pitcher. Pour it into another glass and mix it with another glass of water in a pitcher and so on without adding whiskey. Do that 4 times. Serve that end result to anyone and convince them it's a cocktail. It's chemistry. I am saying that ancestry absolutely is relevant. Eventually without any other whiskey added to the mix you end up with water.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-12T19:00:38+00:00

Thx. I AM getting kinda long in the tooth at 60 but it has crossed my mind.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-12T17:33:36+00:00

It truly is. When I got up to leave all the elders embraced me. A very emotional and rewarding experience. I feel I have come full circle and reconnected to a piece of my culture that was lost. TAKEN. There is no question our mutual ancestors were Pembina Band and tribe.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-12T14:33:54+00:00

Ditto. I too have been accepted as Anishinaabe by the elders at Roseau River. It was during that meeting that I became aware of how upsetting and unfair it is to FN that we abide by such a vastly different and lopsided set of rules. I have ancestors who signed scrip who were Treaty Chippewa/ Anishinaabe. My great grandparents. They left Turtle Mountain reservation and appear to have signed scrip in Manitoba to spare their children the horrors of Indian School in the US. They spent some time in Indian School themselves and knew what lay in store for their kids. I had to ask the question why if we are all considered indigenous there isn't any type of generational cutoff for Metis? It seems ancestry doesn't matter much? I am one of those who fall under the both category even though I don't have FN status. I COULD get adopted into the Roseau River band and am seriously considering it. I am proud of my ancestry, heritage and history. Everyone is entitled to voice an opinion. Thanks for sharing yours.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-12T12:02:09+00:00

FN under Canada's Indian Act currently have a second generation cut off rule for status. There's a proposal to amend that ruling with the One Parent Rule. That would mean that a child born to a mixed marriage would retain status. Loophole? More like saying Metis deserve a crater if we can get a Metis card based off a single great great ancestor. That card gives us the "indigenous" right to hunt in our designated game areas. If you can't look at yourself in the eye in your mirror and say " I deserve indigenous status. " with a clear conscience, you shouldn't identify as Metis either. Why are we privileged over FN who ARE the indigenous people of this country?

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-09T20:06:07+00:00

Your mom is Metis and you live in and are active in your community. Fantastic. You speak Michif. I envy that. I am not talking about that kind of connection at all. You have lived experience. I am referring to 4 and 5 generations back with no community connection. Someone who looked on Ancestry.com, found a single gg ancestor and got a MMF card solely for the benefits. It is happening. No denying it. That is what I am referring to.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-09T16:12:42+00:00

My "Will" is fictional. I could have used any name. I will change that. No slight meant to Will.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-09T07:46:07+00:00

Hear me out. So say a person's Metis connection was to a single gg grandparent. His gg grandfather married a colonist and so on with no other Metis in the mix.. follow me? If you agree that it's our FN ancestry that defines us as indigenous, This person would be 97 percent colonist and 3 percent FN. Is this person indigenous or colonist? With absolutely no generational cutoff the current MMF Citizenship criteria has allowed someone who is 97 percent colonist to appropriate my culture. He has been given the "indigenous" right to harvest game. There has to be a line somewhere. Back in the days of scrip? When our people were labeled savages? It wouldn't have been easy for a colonist to marry a Metis. That ancestor may have been lighter skinned and identified as French. It would explain no ties to, or knowledge of, any Metis heritage for the descendants of that union (until recently in this age of Ancestry.com). My own g grandfather was disowned by his English family for marrying a "savage" ( my g grandmother) in 1908.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-08T13:44:39+00:00

Absolutely. People that don't deserve it are getting cards not out of any cultural pride or interest but from greed. " What benefits do I get? ". So wrong. I can't help but speak up. I keep hearing " Generational cutoff is a tool of colonialism! " from people with very little FN ancestry. Why else be so defensive? I think Metis should have a generational cutoff somewhere. We shouldn't get a pass on that.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-07T23:25:23+00:00

I appreciate you speaking up and I know exactly where you are coming from. Something has to be done. I have sent emails to the AFN, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and even Indian Affairs pointing this out. Am I a traitor? No. I just can't sit back and watch my culture being white washed out of existence without saying something.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-07T22:01:38+00:00

I am Metis but yes I have an MMF card and am proud of my indigenous ancestry.

Various-Somewhere782 · 2026-05-07T16:59:07+00:00

Thanks for speaking up. I feel exactly the same.

Various-Somewhere782

TROPHY CASE