Classroom Resources
Heritage Michif Resources
Workbooks
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Bingo
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Games
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Terms for Playing Cards – (playing cards not included) |
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Colouring
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Labels
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Songs
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Miscellaneous
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About Heritage Michif
Heritage Michif is spoken mainly from western Manitoba all the way to central Alberta, in addition to Northern North Dakota and Montana. It originated among the bison-hunting Métis who lived on the plains. In Saskatchewan, it is spoken especially in the Yorkton, Cypress Hills, Qu’Appelle Valley, and Round Prairie/Saskatoon areas.
Linguistically, it is considered quite unique among the world’s contact languages and is often described – somewhat simplistically – as a blend of French nouns and Cree verbs. The French element of Heritage Michif comes from Michif French, with the Algonquian element coming from dialects of Cree and Western Ojibwe (Saulteaux). That said, Heritage Michif has solidified into its own language: it contains elements from its source languages, but also has characteristics that are unique to it alone. A good example of this is the way in which some French elements are “sandwiched” in Cree grammar, like the French noun le vieux (‘old man’) becoming a verb in phrases like ni maachi li vyeu-iwin (‘I am getting old’).
Elder Norman Fleury“We become who we are by listening and watching. We make la gaalet by the feel of our grandma’s fingers. There are no written recipes for food or life but there are moments and memories that form the basis for Métis identity.”
