Pride and culture

Spending time with old souls Dan Julian and Clydette Boyer is like dipping into a treasure chest of Metis culture and history. Soft-spoken yet wise, their roots date back to the early 1600’s when the very first Metis settled Canada and the U.S.

“We like to say that when you mix two dissimulated races you end up with a hybrid, and that is what we are,” said Boyer.

Metis, which means “mixed,” refers to this unique blend of European and Native American ancestry, which has evolved to include a rich culture and heritage that the Metis are characterized by.

The Metis are neither Indian or European, but a new race of people. They are the only race of people who can prove that they originated on the North American Continent. The Metis are an independent people who ask no favors of either Indians or Europeans, but developed as men and women of dignity and earned respect. According to Julian and Boyer, members of the Metis nation today continue to defend, honor, and celebrate the unique traditions, history, heritage and culture handed down to them by their remarkable ancestors.

Now, children across the state will be able to dip into this husband and wife duo's treasure trove of cultural information, as they will be speaking to school groups throughout the state. Last weekend the couple gave their first speech together, which will no doubt be the first of many to come.

Where theY have been

Both were raised according to the traditional Metis community and culture.

Julian was born in the Northwest Territories of Canada and was raised by his grandparents, and Boyer is from Montana.

Julian learned to create ancestral pieces when he was 14 under the instruction of his great uncle Hurley, and his ancestral art has been displayed on every inhabited continent as well as in the Smithsonian and other galleries throughout the U.S. He also created several staffs for the movie “Dances With Wolves.”

In addition, the couple has served as Metis counsel to political and government agencies.

Some of the ancestral art that Julian creates include Medicine Wheels, Lodge Shields and Sachem Wands, and he continues to make them in the same style they have been done for generations.

The Medicine Wheel represents the never ending life cycle and the Abalone shell or Elk horn in the middle honors Mother Earth. Six strands of horse hair honor the cardinal points of the universe.

The Lodge Shield is constructed similarly to the Medicine Wheel but includes either four lengths of horse hair, four feathers or six leather straps hanging from the shield. These are wrapped in red trade wool at connection points, to also represent the cardinal points of the universe.

Sachem Wands are an ancestral piece used by the old Metis families for guidance and protection and was traditionally used by elders of the family. The most common fur to include was fox and the leather is always wild deer, elk or moose.

Julian of course uses traditional animal hides like elk, deer or moose, the traditional fur that his ancestors used.

“It’s not a craft, it’s an art,” said Boyer. “Dan is probably the only person in the world who makes (Metis) ancestral art anymore.”

goals for the future

Julian and Boyer have extensive speaking experience on their own (almost 40 years each), but are now coming together to share their knowledge through speaking.

As representatives of such a rich culture, they are here to share what they know.

After writing a letter to North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Wayne Sanstead, the couple got a tremendous response. Sanstead said this is something he would like to see spoken about in schools and asked Julian and Boyer to send out letters to high schools throughout the state, and they are hoping to make an impact by talking to children in this way.

Since most of the Metis population in the U.S. is scattered throughout North Dakota, Montana and Minnesota, Boyer and Julian would like to focus on this region for now.

Topics they will touch upon are traditions, history, pride, and the future of the Metis people.

After referring to the teaching that is being done in Canada, Julian said that is what they are striving for here.

“That is something to shoot for,” Julian said. “The Metis schools there are very good, and we would like to work toward having something like that here.”

The language in particular was lost in the 1900’s, but is being revived in Canada. It is still spoken by some elders, but very few younger Metis know the language.

Both Julian and Boyer agreed that there is a lot of prejudice and misconceptions that they would like to address with children in schools as well as faculty members.

“We both grew up living the traditional Metis lifestyle, so we can tell people the truth about our culture,” said Boyer. “A lot of the youth are almost in a vacuum because they are not taught about their heritage.”

“We need to bring the pride back to the people. We have a great history and have our own traditions and state of mind, and we feel we can stop a lot of prejudices this way,” said Boyer. “We have to educate the educators as well.”

As two Metis who are embedded in the culture and live the Metis lifestyle, these two are fully qualified to speak to schools and other groups about what they represent. “That is what creates a race of people, is having your own culture,” said Julian.

“We are elders and we are here to teach everyone, not just kids,” added Boyer.

The couple’s business is called Metis Koushkoupayh, or “Metis Wake up.”

To book a speaking engagement or for any other information, Julian and Boyer can be reached at 572-0518. They also have many more ancestral art pieces on display in their home in Williston.

QuickInfo

The Metis language, Michiuf, is a blend of French nouns, Cree verbs, some English and Chippewa

The Metis sash is worn at gatherings, celebrations, or any important events and is a symbol of the Metis nation

They are known as “flower beadwork people” for both their free hand and and silk embroidery, which included floral patterns.

The Red River Jig is their

national dance, but waltzes

are also very popular and

their dances include tradi-

tional fiddle music.

Metis dancing is not done for any specific spiritual reasons, and elders and youth are included in all celebrations.

The Metis flag is blue and contains the infiniti symbol, symbolizing in a sense that the Metis race will be eternal.

Two traditional food dishes are Boulettes and Beigns, a meatball soup served with fry bread and Gullette, which is an unleavened, heavy bread.