Monique Giroux

Reimagining Métis/settler relations through music

What makes music Métis, and who gets to decide? Complex dynamics of recognition, non-recognition, and erasure have played out over a history of Métis music-making, from the Red River Resistance all the way to the present day.

Monique Giroux argues that Métis music reflects broader social relationships, in particular the politics of recognition. Drawing on newspaper articles, archival documents, interviews with Métis and non-Métis musicians, and over a decade of research at cultural festivals, she charts a history of reframings: a changing but problematic relationship whereby settlers define the boundaries of acceptance to assert control over Métis identity and culture. Complicating this narrative, Giroux points to the many ways Métis have resisted settler recognition and erasure – both within mainstream old-time fiddling and at Métis-run events where people have continued to gather, tell stories, and draw on music to rebuild relationships in a time of resurgence.

Métis Music critically examines music as a shifting site of encounter, showing its readers what to listen for, how to learn by listening, and the importance of acting intentionally with the learning gained through listening.

Reviews

Educator Information
Table of Contents
Figures and Tables ix

Preface: Acknowledging Indigenous Presence, Tracing Ancestral Lines xi
1 Recognition, Resurgence, and Ethical Responsiveness 3
2 Fiddle Dance in the Fur Trade and across the Métis Homeland 34
3 Writing Métis Music in Manitoba Newspapers 60
4 Exchange, Multicultural Compartmentalization, and the New Old-Time Style 86
5 Métis Music at Manitoba’s Old-Time Fiddle Competitions 110
6 Cultural Festivals as Recognition and Resurgence 134
7 On Moving from Louis Riel to Li Keur 169
Postlude: Métis Music 203

Notes 209
References 231
Index 255

Additional Information
288 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | 9 photos, 3 tables | Paperback