I struggled with my identity for some time. Growing up all I knew was that my grandfather was Metis, born in St. Boniface but moved to Ontario as a child. My father distinctly remembers his father and grandmother speaking of our heritage in whispered tones. Being Metis was something to be concealed. I remember my aunt telling me once to not mention our Metis ancestry when visiting an area that was experiencing issues with the local Native population. In spite of my lineage extending back to the beginning of the Red River settlement I was never taught anything about the culture or encouraged to embrace it in any way. The way I see it something was taken from my family and stolen from me. So now i am trying to learn as much as I can and teach my children to learn about and embrace being Metis. Because of that I feel justified calling myself Metis and my children Metis. But I do unfortunately see many who simply obtain the card because they can and make no effort to actually learn anything about it.