Preserving and promoting Michif

Here you will find the language documentation projects that Métis Nation-Saskatchewan has undertaken; some are audio only, while others include video. We have also provided English transcripts so that learners can see how the Michif aligns with equivalent expressions in English.

The process of language documentation is a collaborative effort between native Michif speakers and learners, and we are eternally grateful to the speakers who have contributed to this language archive.  This language documentation archive serves as one step in the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan’s revitalization efforts, providing the necessary tools and resources to teach, learn, and maintain Michif. Our goal with this archive is to promote and preserve Michif so that younger generations can learn their heritage language.

Please note, you may see [xxx] in the Michif transcriptions – this is used to indicate that it is unclear to the transcriber what the speaker has said; these documentation projects are part of an ongoing effort, so our goal is to eventually clear as many of the [xxx]’s as possible after consulting our speakers. The rationale for releasing these files before they are 100% complete lies in the belief that we should not let perfectionism stall our efforts to promote and share the Michif language; the sooner we begin sharing language, the sooner we can all start learning and benefiting from what has been given to us by our speakers.

If you have any questions or comments related to the content, whether it be related to the topics discussed in the videos, the nitty-gritty aspects of translation and transcription, or anything in between, please email us at [email protected].

Please check back regularly for additional content!