Michif

Michif is a term used to describe the speech of a number of MÉTIS communities in western Canada and the northern US. It is one outgrowth of long contact between Cree and Ojibwa speakers and francophones, and recent research has linked it especially to the Métis buffalo hunts and winter camp settlements on the northern plains. Although formerly dismissed as "bad French" or a disorderly mix of elements, it exhibits a complex structure which establishes it as at least a creole language or a dialect of Cree.

Most typically, French nouns and noun phrases are combined with Cree syntax and verb structures: "I like fish" - Li pwesoon nimiyaymow. While best documented at Turtle Mountain Reservation, North Dakota, it also survives locally in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Many Métis do not speak Michif, having grown up in settings where English or French dominated or having learned to use those languages plus Cree according to need, as did older generations at Lac La Biche, Alberta. Michif persistence, however, is one indicator of the temporal depth and historical distinctiveness of Métis cultural traditions.

Author JENNIFER S.H. BROWN

Links to Other Sites
Languages of Canada
A comprehensive online database of languages currently in use in Canada. Also provides details about extinct languages. Check out the "language maps" for more information. Based on "Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition." From SIL International, a US website.

Four Directions Teachings
Elders and traditional teachers representing the Blackfoot, Cree, Ojibwe, Mohawk, and Mi’kmaq share teachings about their history and culture. Animated graphics visualize each of the oral teachings. This website also provides biographies of participants, transcripts, and an extensive array of learning resources for students and their teachers. In English with French subtitles.