Some background to this project:

In early 2022, Drs. Giroux, Steele, and Porter gathered remotely for a discussion on the nuances of, and need for, an in-depth, cross-discipline inquiry into the cultural and historic impact of the Red River Jig to the Métis peoples whose family networks and lives have been informed, and continue to be informed, by this musical work and dance—in diaspora and in country. Known by some as the Métis national anthem, the Red River Jig is widely danced at contemporary Métis cultural and political events, functioning as celebration, competition, connection, act of catharsis (Duffee, Mawachihitotaak Gathering, 2022), or of prayer. Historically, the Red River Jig was used for diplomatic purposes, and for many Métis past and present, it continues as a spiritual practice.

At the same time, many of those who play and dance the “Red River Jig” are Cree or Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), while others are of Franco-Manitoban, Fransaskois, or Scottish-Canadian ancestry. The dance and tune are therefore embedded in networks of kinship that extend beyond the Métis Nation; this is a “Red River Jig family network” (Steele, 2022) that emerged as part of the historic fur trade, but that continues to this day. As the Red River Jig crosses boundaries among music, dance, politics, history, and spirituality, the workshops proposed for this grant will be a first step towards building a knowledge-sharing community centred on these intersections, historically, and contemporary.   

 Engagement, Objectives, and Outcomes  

The result of the 2022 meetings was the development of this multi-year research project that will culminate in a series of visits, written resources, podcasts, and the publication of a ground-breaking anthology of scholarship incorporating the words and work of Métis artist-practitioners and other interested participants. The anthology will cut across categories (disciplinary, and academic/non-academic), and will integrate creative practices—where the form of the anthology reflects the creativity of practice of the traditions themselves. This will include visual arts, beadwork, poetry, short stories, and more, that express the essence and influence of the “Red River Jig” and that build on research-creation practices where in circular fashion the research informs the creative works which in turn informs the research (Stévance and Lacasse 2016).

This is vital work because, to date, researchers have focused on the Red River Jig as sound or movement (see Gibbons 1980, and Dueck 2013, 51–53), with little focus on the more intrinsic cultural implications of the piece. The researchers determined that the culminating anthology should be readable, and along with other outcomes, a community resource as well as an academic study. In addition to including a variety of written forms, the podcasts and the video recordings of the workshops proposed for this grant will accompany the anthology as a resource that supports further community engagement and research.  

The visits/workshops will bring together researchers and practitioners, including choreographers, dancers, fiddlers, composers, musicians, visual artists, writers, poets, and community engaged members of the Red River family network. Of particular interest is how other forms of knowledge and experience, including kinship, spirituality, history, diplomacy, science, and visual arts have interacted with the Red River Jig—directly, or indirectly. We will also consider Métis music and dance as methodology and how music and dance practices honour the past while existing in the present and reaching towards the future.

Our first visit will be with knowledge-keeper of the dance, and choreographer, Yvonne Chartrand, fiddler and activist, Tristan Durocher, and spoken word artist and musician Moe Clark. Please stay tuned for more information about the special guests for our Fall and Winter events. These visits will be held online to facilitate widespread public engagement. Virtual engagement is important because of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and because Métis live and work across the large Métis homeland and beyond. With permission of the invited guests, the visits will be recorded and made available online. Although the project centres Métis people and music/dance practices, we expect that the theoretical aspects of the project will be of interest far beyond the Métis community and across disciplines.