Within the rich lineage of Alberta Métis Cultural History and indigenous history overall, Hugh Chalifoux offers up his own experiences.
When asked “who are the Metis people?”, Chalifoux’s answer revealed the outsider racism that has often followed that identity. He said, “Métis people are half white, half native. Half breeds. That’s what I think. Apparently, you’re not supposed to say it anymore.”
Many moments of joy did exist among the settlement community though. Chalifoux reminisced about playing with neighbors that had families between 8 to 18 kids in Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement.
Fair day in August also resonated as a great annual tradition with great company and great BBQ over a couple of days. In terms of the earliest days of the settlement circa 1938/1939, Chalifoux recalls self-sufficiency being a must with everyone curating big gardens then.
Alberta Métis Cultural History
Natural medicines also came from the land beyond the gardens settlers generated themselves. Medicines like rat root, muskeg tea, and peppermint abounded for many ailments like colds, aches,pains, etc.
In terms of the right hunting ground, tracking, or killing animals, Chalifoux stated, “Well, the best thing I remember is when we used to go…the whole family, you used to go hunting. Get a moose and then you were there for four or five days making dry meat. Because when we went hunting, we took our wood stove with us and my mum would be canning moose meat.”
Chalifoux continued, “Also canning moose meat, like how many people take their wood stove with them today? Wood stove 10 because that’s the way they were raised. ’cause we used to have a 120 dozen yards of moose meat. That’s like 200 and 1200 and 1400. That’s the big [dealer] and the big two [court dealer] of moose meat. Nobody cans moose meat today. Moose meat, chicken, pork.”
Also, the meat of the land back then was of a certain quality that he found to be way healthier than what is mass-produced and sold in grocery stores.
Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement
When asked “is your traditional Michif language still important to you and why?”, Chalifoux said, “When I was growing up, my dad made us quit talking Cree. Because English was the way to go, according to him. I understand Cree, I have a hard time talking it ’cause there’s a linkage in there that’s broken. But when I get around people that are talking Cree all the time, that’s all I hear, I can understand it and I can speak it. But the moment anybody said something in English, it’s gone. Because somewhere in there, there is a break.”
Finally, when asked “what is the most important thing that you would want to preserve and pass on to future generations?”,Chalifoux quipped, “Our land. You can’t give it away. You can pass it on the family, but to sell it up to outsiders, no. The land is the most important thing, even though it’s half burnt. It’ll grow back. Like we’ll see that, but our kids and grandkids will eventually see it all grow back. But it’s just to have a homeland, a place where people can go.”
Chalifoux continued, “Because all the land we have here. The only right we have is to use it. We don’t own it. Like some of them say it’s my land. You just have the right to use it. When they’re gone, somebody else will get it. The way I see it, the land is all shared.”
Liberty Multimedia Inc. and Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement would like to thank Alberta Culture for its support of these interviews and dedication to preserving Alberta’s history.