Indigenous Learning - Métis in Canada

Michif is a language spoken by Métis peoples mostly in parts of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, North Dakota and Montana. Michif is mainly a combination of Cree and French, but the language also borrows from English and other Indigenous languages, including Ojibwe.

Michif is one outgrowth of long contact between Cree and Ojibwe speakers and francophone traders. Their offspring — the Métis — are said to have created the language on the Plains in the early 1800s by blending varieties of French and Cree — French Michif (or Métis French) and Plains Cree.

Credit: The Canadian Encyclopedia

This website is a joint project of the Métis Nation British Columbia and the Metis Youth British Columbia.Our goal when building this site was to the provide content to help people connect with their past and with their future as Métis people. We feel very strongly that language is a central component of identity and have thus attempted to make the language lessons easy to follow and fun to use.

"Speaking Michif" is a set of language modules and printable resources developed by the Louis Riel Institute to assist in teaching families the Michif language. The lessons are at a beginner level, on the theme of everyday family life. The lessons can be easily practiced at home since they involve everyday activities and conversations. The modules can also be used in a language classroom.

Printable resource to accompany DVD lessons.

The Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI) works with Michif speakers to preserve and promote the three Michif languages spoken in Saskatchewan: Michif, Michif-French, and Northern Michif.

A workbook provided by the Métis Nation of Ontario.