Red River Métis IPCAs

Despite our many names such as Bois Brûlés; flower beadwork people; Otipemisiwak (The People Who Own Themselves); Riel’s people, Les Michif, and Manitoba Métis – from the beginning, they have all referred to the same people – the Red River Métis.

– Manitoba Métis Federation

The Manitoba Métis Federation currently estimates there are approximately 120,000 Métis people living throughout Manitoba today. Presently, there are over 50,000 individuals on the Manitoba Métis Federation voters list.

Early History

The Métis are a culturally distinct group of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Along with First Nations and Inuit, the Métis’ Aboriginal rights are recognized in the Canadian Constitution.

The Métis are of European and Indigenous (First Nations) heritage dating back to the 18th century. Relationships between male European fur traders, pioneers, and settlers and Indigenous women were not uncommon during the early contact period. Within several generations the children of these unions developed their own collective identity, political community, and distinct culture. The Métis Nation was thus born, drawing on, but distinct from its First Nation and European roots.

The early Métis had nomadic lifestyles but later settled in permanent villages and participated in hunting, agriculture, and trading. By the early 19th century, the Métis were involved in buffalo hunting, and combined living off the land with wage labour.

The rights of Métis to hunt, fish, trap, and gather are constitutionally protected and upheld in the Métis Laws of the Harvest. The Métis Laws of the Harvest describe the importance of Métis continuing “to respect the cultural traditions and conservation responsibilities of our ancestors”.

In 2012, the Manitoba Métis Federation and the Province of Manitoba entered into an agreement that recognizes the rights of Red River Métis Citizens to harvest within the Métis Recognized Harvesting Area. This right includes non-commercial harvesting within occupied provincial Crown lands and provincial parks.

As Manitoba Métis Federation President David Chartrand reflects,

The way we exercise our rights has been given to us by our Elders who were taught the ways of our people by their Ancestors. These laws are a gift that we must all hold onto and not let individuals or other levels of government tear from our grasp.

– Manitoba Métis Federation President David Chartrand

It’s not just the rights that we need to demand, but also the responsibilities that we need to take upon ourselves, and that’s what the laws of the Métis hunt are all about. And I think that’s what the underlying foundation of IPCAs is all about as well. We have a right to the land, but we have a responsibility to protect it and to make sure it is there for future generations. Because what is the point of winning the right to hunt if there are no moose at the end of the day?

– Manitoba Métis Federation Minister Will Goodon, core member of the Indigenous Circle of Experts

Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) are one of many initiatives the Manitoba Métis Federation is undertaking to protect species and places that are important to the Red River Métis. In 2020, the Manitoba Métis Federation received funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada to develop two IPCAs in the Métis homeland: Kettle Hills Blueberry Patch IPCA and Thompson Region IPCA.

The Manitoba Métis Federation continues to engage its Citizens and other groups with an interest in these initiatives through workshops, meetings, and surveys. For example, the Manitoba Métis Federation conducted two surveys for Citizens to include Red River Métis priorities, values, and insights into IPCA establishment.

Click on the video below to watch a dialogue from 2022 about Red River Métis IPCAs.

The Kettle Hills Blueberry Patch IPCA aims to protect and revitalize the Red River Métis Breadbasket. This is a culturally significant site integral to the Métis Homeland.

Aerial View of Kettle Hills IPCA
Photo credit: Manitoba Métis Federation

In 2019, the Manitoba Métis Federation began establishing the Kettle Hills Blueberry Patch IPCA with support from Red River Métis Citizens. The Red River Métis have ancestral ties to this area and have relied on it for harvesting, community gatherings, and ceremonies. The area is culturally and historically significant for the Red River Métis, as well as for First Nation communities.

Manitoba Métis Federation intends for the IPCA to advance shared governance and environmental stewardship, and reconciliation.

Learn more about Kettle Hills Blueberry Patch IPCA in this short video:

As the name suggests, Kettle Hills Blueberry Patch IPCA is an important and historical harvesting site for wild blueberries. Yet, Citizens are noticing a decline in the amount of accessible blueberry patches and their productivity.

This area is threatened by the expansion of agriculture, transmission lines, forestry, increased road access, and development. These developments threaten the ability of the Red River Métis to access, as well as harvest in, Kettle Hills.

Location

The Kettle Hills Blueberry Patch IPCA includes ecologically and culturally significant lands known as Kettle Hills. The IPCA is in the transition zone between Manitoba Lowlands (Swan-Pelican Provincial Forest, Crown land) and commercial agriculture (Lenswood Community Pasture, provincial lands).

Map of Kettle Hills
Map: Manitoba Métis Federation

What does our IPCA protect?

Kettle Hills Blueberry Patch IPCA will foster connectivity with wildlife habitat in nearby protected areas.

In addition to the blueberry patch, the IPCA will protect the Pelican Lake Area of Special Interest and Swan Pelican Wildlife Refuge. These currently unprotected areas are critical wildlife and bird habitat. They are also important to the Red River Métis as well as local First Nations.

The IPCA will create habitat connectivity with nearby protected areas including the Swan Lake Game Bird Refuge, Kettle Stone Provincial Park, and Birch Island Provincial Park.

Nation-to-Nation Discussions

Through this process we will build on our shared knowledge and common cultural values.

The Manitoba Métis Federation understands the importance of building a shared vision and working relationship with other Indigenous communities and partners with interests in the area. Traditional governance models, Indigenous law, and Indigenous knowledge will inform the IPCA governance and management model.

The Manitoba Métis Federation also understands the importance of a widespread community engagement process with Red River Métis, First Nations, local communities, and stakeholders. The Manitoba Métis Federation continues to gather input as we establish our IPCA and are also conducting research and capacity building within our Métis Government to support the IPCA.

These areas were always SHARED by all Indigenous people NOT just one community. All communities gathered at these sites, they respected each other. All Kettle Hills belong to the surrounding Indigenous communities, not just one.

– Community Engagement Session, 2018

Harvesting

The Red River Métis refer to the area included in the Kettle Hills Blueberry Patch IPCA as the “Métis Breadbasket” region because it has sustained the Red River Métis for generations.

There’s a trail that runs all the way to Kettle Hills from here and runs through the back all the way to Kettle Hills and there’s medicines all the way there… there’s medicines all along that way

– Traditional Knowledge interview, 2010

Red River Métis are dedicated to preserving this area, which is known for its blueberry patch. Citizens have been harvesting “lii blooway” or wild blueberries, for many generations in the Kettle Hills area.

Red River Métis Citizens have demonstrated the irreplaceable significance of the Kettle Hills Blueberry Patch:

[it is] a second home at certain seasons and is a lifestyle lived by our ancestors and is how we choose to live our lives

Harvesting on this land is a way of passing down knowledge of the land, along with traditions and teachings of the land and how to live off it

– Community Engagement Session, 2018

Two species of blueberry grow in our IPCA, velvet leaf blueberries (Vaccinium myrtilloides) and common lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium). Both blueberry varieties are fire tolerant and flourish after forest fires and other disturbances.

Pemmican Recipe with Wild Blueberries

• 2 lbs. of buffalo
• 1/4 cup dried berries (blueberries or saskatoon berries)
• 5 tablespoons of animal fat (melted)

Cut the meat into long strips and hang in the sun to dry for several days.

When completely dry, pound each strip until broken into flakes, then mix the flakes and dried berries. The meat, berries and warm melted fat can be mixed into a bowl.

When the fat has cooled, the ingredients can be rolled into large balls and stored into plastic bags.

Pemmican can be eaten as is, cooked like hamburger, or boiled with flour and water to make soup.

Learn more about the importance of bison and pemmican to the Red River Métis here.

Restoring and Protecting Kettle Hills Blueberry Patch for Future Generations

Since harvesters now have to travel farther to get higher yields of blueberries, Red River Métis Citizens are concerned. The Manitoba Métis Federation has been rehabilitating the area through site and trail maintenance, the collection of baseline data, and by sharing Traditional Knowledge. Baseline data will help us manage and monitor the IPCA.

By establishing the Kettle Hills Blueberry Patch IPCA, the Red River Métis are restoring and protecting our heritage. Working with our Citizens, neighbours, and partners we are ensuring this culturally significant area, and its bountiful blueberry patch, will be here for future generations to enjoy.

Kettle Hills Site Visit
Photo Credit: Manitoba Métis Federation

Surveying Burn Area
Photo Credit: Manitoba Métis Federation

Surveying Burn Area: Test Site Analysis
Photo credit: Manitoba Métis Federation

Thompson Region IPCA

Meet our IPCA

In 2019, the Manitoba Métis Federation began establishing the Thompson Region IPCA in the Métis Government’s Thompson Region of Manitoba. The Red River Métis have ancestral and ongoing ties to this land.

The Fox Lake Cree Nation, Kivalliq Inuit Association, Northlands Denesuline First Nation, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Sayisi Dene First Nation, Shamattawa First Nation, Tataskweyak Cree Nation, War Lake First Nation and York Landing First Nation also have ties to these lands.

Indigenous-led co-management, reconciliation, and stewardship are central to the Manitoba Métis Federation’s vision for the Thompson Region IPCA.

This area holds cultural and historical significance to the Red River Métis, First Nations and Inuit. Indigenous Nations still rely on the area for harvesting, community gatherings, and ceremonies. Our IPCA protects critical habitat, sacred, and heritage sites.

Our IPCA is an important missing link. By connecting Wapusk National Park to the area west of the National Park, the IPCA protects critical wildlife habitat.

Caribou Corridor provides an excellent opportunity for a co-managed IPCA that works towards environmental stewardship, shared governance and reconciliation.

– Manitoba Métis Federation

Threats to this area include climate change, hydroelectric development, mineral extraction and over-harvesting. Red River Métis Citizens have noticed declining numbers of wildlife. By establishing the IPCA we are helping to create habitat connectivity for species like caribou.

The Manitoba Métis Federation has financed the IPCA with contributions from ECCC (Challenge Funds). The Manitoba Métis Federation is providing in-kind funding and is looking for philanthropic funds.

Using a multi-phased approach, Manitoba Métis Federation is establishing the IPCA as follows:

• Planning, Engagement, and Design: (year 1)
• Collaboration, Research and Development: (year 1-2)
• Governance, Strategic Planning and Implementation: (years 3-4)
• Communication, Maintenance, Operation (year 4 onwards)

Northern Transition Forest, Thompson Region IPCA
Photo Credit: Manitoba Métis Federation

Northern Transition Forest, Thompson Region IPCA
Photo Credit: Manitoba Métis Federation

Location

The Thompson Region IPCA is located west of Wapusk National Park. The IPCA protects ecological and culturally significant lands. The ecosystems are within the transition zone between mixed boreal forest to the south and peat plateaus, and arctic tundra to the north.

Important rivers, deltas and watershed basins are in the vicinity of the IPCA. These include the Seal, Owl Knife, Nelson and Churchill Rivers.

Location of Thompson Region IPCA
Map Credit: Manitoba Métis Federation

What does our IPCA protect?

The Thompson Region IPCA is intended to be a “protected area with sustainable use of natural resources” under the IUCN Protected Area Management Categories. Currently, there is a lack of consistent regional conservation planning and resource management in this area. Our IPCA will address this gap.

The Manitoba Métis Federation continues to invest in northern economic opportunities to support the needs of our Métis citizens living, working and harvesting in remote communities. Traditionally, Métis people have always had a presence in the north.

– David Chartrand LL.D (hon.), O.M., President, Manitoba Métis Federation

In northern Manitoba there were numerous Métis living in unorganized territory where the land was not yet surveyed, thus they could not purchase the lots on which they were living.

– Lawrence Barkwell, 2018

Red River Métis, First Nations, and Inuit have recognized rights under Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution to hunt, trap, and gather plants and medicines. Along with our partners, we will protect this critical area while upholding the Métis Laws of the Harvest. By protecting this area we will also ensure future generations can also enact their responsibilities.

Red River Métis Traditional Knowledge acknowledges that all species are important. At least 13 species at risk have been identified as having a range that overlaps with the IPCA. Of these species, caribou and polar bear are of particular concern because of their cultural significance to the Red River Métis. By protecting critical habitat, our IPCA will support the recovery of:

Polar Bear
Photo Credit: Katie deMeuilles

Polar Bears
Photo Credit: Catherine DeMeulles

Olive Sided Flycatcher
Photo Credit: Manitoba Métis Federation

Peat Bog, Thompson Region IPCA
Photo Credit: Manitoba Métis Federation

Red River Métis-led Co-management

Partnerships and co-management are central to the Manitoba Métis Federation’s vision for the Thompson Region IPCA. By taking a collaborative approach, the Manitoba Métis Federation seeks to advance reconciliation and stewardship.

Indigenous Knowledge, governance, and laws will guide the development of management plans, policies, research, and monitoring within the IPCA. This will contribute to management objectives, enhance collaborations, and strengthen relationships between Indigenous communities.

Thompson Region IPCA Workshop, 2022
Photo Credit: Manitoba Métis Federation

Reconciliation

The Manitoba Métis Federation plans to work with other rights-holders to develop and implement a collective vision for Thompson Region IPCA. In order for our IPCA to contribute to reconciliation it must uphold Section 35 Aboriginal rights.

Sayisi Dene are leading the Seal River Watershed IPCA in a nearby area, the Nitaskiinan Project aims to protect the Hudson Bay Coastal Lands and the Tataskweyak Cree Nation Aski Pahminahmaswin Indigenous Protected Area looks to protect key areas of their traditional territory.

Collectively, the Manitoba Métis Federation aims to identify shared areas of cultural, historical, and ecological importance that contribute to reconciliation.

Shared Stewardship

The Manitoba Métis Federation, alongside partners will act as stewards of this area. This is consistent with the historical and contemporary shared use of the area and the co-existence of Section 35 rights.

Sustainable harvesting is a priority and the Manitoba Métis Federation will work to enhance and increase the population and distribution of key species.

Crowberry
Photo Credit: Manitoba Métis Federation

Cranberry
Photo Credit: Manitoba Métis Federation

Research and Monitoring

By monitoring climate change indicators we will gain greater clarity on local effects of climate change which will lead to mitigation and adaptation strategies.

As we develop our protection strategies, we will work with our partners to identify culturally important species, and species of concern. Our priority is to maintain or increase populations. Red River Métis Citizens will have opportunities to participate in stewardship activities.

The Manitoba Métis Federation leads a Red River Métis Stewards of the Homeland Program, Community-Based Climate Monitoring Program, and Make Our Homelands Green Again Initiative, which includes a commitment to plant two million trees. A related initiative is the Métis Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow (MELT) program which aims to connect Red River Métis youth with elders in on-the-land environmental stewardship.