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Métis Art

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Métis Art refers to artwork that is produced by the Métis people. The identification of these works is usually done through certain styles and mediums—examples include creating intricate visual pieces using beads, working with leather and animal hide, and the creation of traditional sashes—but it can also be attributed simply as works done by one who identifies as Métis. The creation of these forms of art began as a combination of motifs and cultural symbols from both Indigenous and European cultures, and still carries through in Métis art made to this day. Métis artwork generally has themes of identity exploration and fluidity, the importance and power of familial connection, and contemporary issues among the people.

A pair of beaded mittens made by an unknown Cree/Métis artist, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Types

Beading

Beading is a very prominent form of art that the Métis people use; so much so that the Métis people are also called the "flower beadwork people". In this form, there are usually many portrayals of certain kinds of flowers and plants, but it is not limited to that alone. The use of flowers comes from the combination of various First Nations beadwork styles and French-Canadian styles of making embroidery.

A bag made by an anonymous artist as a gift, containing a beaded floral pattern on it, Cleveland Museum of Art

Leatherwork and Clothing

An example of a Capote, made with the Hudson's Bay point blanket

Along with beading, the Métis create articles of clothing and objects of use with leathers and animal hide. Such examples of these are mittens, hats, boots, and bags. Métis people made clothing using various materials, including some that come from the Hudson's Bay Company. Jackets made from wool that came from the company were called Capotes.

Painting

Styles for painting can vary. Some take a more contemporary form, while others are more stylized and even more reminiscent to beadwork. Depictions of scenes related to Métis history and contemporary issues within the community, along with depictions of flowers and plants akin to beading imagery are common in this style of artworks.

Jigging

Jigging is a form of dance that originated in Europe, then was taken in by the Métis people and changed into a Métis form of expression. Métis jigging came into existence around Winnipeg, once known as the Red River Settlement. It was created by mixing European and Indigenous musical forms, and then evolved into its own style of music and dance.

A pertinent song and dance that has to do with Métis jigging is the Red River Jig.

Notable Métis Artists

See also

References

  1. ^ "Arts and Culture". indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.ca. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  2. Rice, Ryan (2017). "Presence and Absence redux: Indian Art in the 1990s". RACAR: Revue d'art canadienne / Canadian Art Review. 42 (2): 42–53. doi:10.7202/1042945ar. ISSN 0315-9906. JSTOR 44378614.
  3. Gaudet, Janice; Dorion, Leah; Corrigal Flaminio, Anna (2020). "Exploring the Effectiveness of Métis Women's Research Methodology and Methods: Promising Wellness Research Practices". First Peoples Child & Family Review. 15 (1): 12–26. doi:10.7202/1068360ar. ISSN 1708-489X. S2CID 216242309.
  4. "The Red River Métis - La Nouvelle Nation". Manitoba Métis Federation. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  5. "Material Culture". indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.ca. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  6. "6. The Resistance of the Red River Métis, 1869-1871", Manitoba, University of Toronto Press, pp. 121–150, 1967-12-31, doi:10.3138/9781487578039-009, ISBN 9781487578039, retrieved 2022-03-21

Fornier, Laura. “Métis Beading and Ancestral Knowledge: A Conversation with Katherine Boyer.” Canadian Art, 22 Nov. 2018, https://canadianart.ca/interviews/metis-beading-and-ancestral-knowledge-a-conversation-with-katherine-boyer/. Accessed 27 January 2022.

Robertson, Carmen. “Land and Beaded Identity: Shaping Art Histories of Indigenous Women of the Flatland.” Canadian Art Review , 2017, Vol. 42, No. 2, Continuities Between Eras Indigenous Art Histories, 2017, pp. 13–29.

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