Allow me to add some context to Kevin Ma’s story (Gazette, May 12) "Métis Spring Festival.”
It really starts with the Hudson’s Bay Company chartered in 1670, focused on an expanding fur Industry. Main centres were Winnipeg and Montreal.
In Alberta this focused in Fort Chipewyan, founded by Peter Pond in 1788 , part of the NorthWest Company.
Roderic MacKenzie and Alexander MacKenzie, were also heavily involved, and Roderic not only founded the first library in the north but also trained First Nations to play the fiddle and dance Scottish jigs. This also happened in Winnipeg and Selkirk and other communities following the immigration by the HBC of 126,000 Scots to Canada from 1700 on.
Flett, Campbell, McDonald, McKenzie, MacKay, Gordon, Fraser, Simpson, all became common Scots names and intermarried with Indigenous peoples.
In summary, the Métis were recognized as one of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples in the Constitution Act of 1982.
But fiddle music, jigs, highland dancing, and bannock (from the Gaelic language) did not exist in Canada before 1670.
The photograph that ran with Mr. Ma's story reflects that Scots-Métis Heritage. My niece Laura Urquhart is Scottish Highland Dance Champion. The sword dance of Scotland is 400 years old.
Bert MacKay, Edmonton
Former Chair, Scottish Advisory Council (Canada)
Former Chair, Scottish Advisory Council (Canada)
