Rise in interest in Métis history 'energizes our community,' Winnipeg woman says

Reconnecting with Métis heritage can be a sensitive and delicate process, and one that doesn't come with a clear roadmap. But it's a journey more people are starting to embark on, and that alone is something to celebrate.

"It energizes our community and our culture," says Janelle Wookey.

Wookey first learned about her Métis heritage when she was 12 years old, but it wasn't until she was in her 20's that she truly began her journey to reconnection. 

Feeling connected to her Métis heritage didn't happen overnight, and she admits the process can be uncomfortable to navigate at times.

"It's one step at a time. And it can be a really, really, beautiful thing, when done with a full heart," Wookey said.

As co-owner of Wookey Films, she credits her career in video production for giving her the opportunity to explore her culture through storytelling.

Fifteen years later, Wookey finally feels confident owning her Métis identity. 

"I don't know if I'll ever feel the way that somebody can feel when they've known about that part of themselves for as long as they can remember," she said.

But she wants to ensure her three daughters do get to feel that way. The next step in her reconnection journey is passing along what she's learned.

"I am making my best effort to do that with my own kids ... so that they never remember a day when they didn't know that they were Métis."

Halley Ducharme is the genealogist at the St. Boniface Historical Society. Métis herself, she helps people take one of the first steps in the reconnection process: confirming Métis ancestry.

In the last two years, the historical society has seen requests for proof of Métis ancestry double. They currently receive between 150 and 200 requests a month.

With the help of submitted documents like birth certificates, marriage licenses, and a family tree, Ducharme searches through newspaper articles, obituaries and national archives for connection to Métis lineage.

"I have clients that are born in the early 2000s, to the 1980s, to people in their 70s and 80s. I just finished a genealogy for someone turning 100 this year," Ducharme said.