“We are known by so many names. Métis. HalfBreed. Michif. Otipemisiwak. BoisBrûlés. The Free People. The People Who Own Themselves. The Flower Beadwork People. HalfBurnt Men. The Road Allowance People. The Forgotten People. All of these names speak to the fact that we are a strong People. We are a people in charge of ourselves. We are a resilient people. We are still here. We know who we are.”
In her TEDxSFU Talk, Emerald explores the nuance of Métis identity, following the arc her family stories across space and time to share an experience that is distinctly Métis, emphasizing the commonality, kinship, and values held in and shared by Métis stories. Emerald is a fourth year undergraduate student from Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, who is currently studying Indigenous Studies and Political Science at Simon Fraser University as a Terry Fox Humanitarian Scholar. She is a proud CreeMétis woman, and is passionate about progressive politics, decolonization, and social change. In the past, Emerald has applied her passion and commitment to reconciliation and Indigenous empowerment to her work within Natural Resources Canada, the Vancity Community Foundation, the City of Surrey, the Māori Law Review, and several Métis communities across Canada. In addition to holding the 2015 Si:Yam Cultural leadership award, Emerald was recently named a 2020 Métis Youth Role Model by the Métis Nation of British Columbia. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx