The Métis are Canada’s first children. From the 1600s to late 1800s, European fur traders joined with Aboriginal women. Their mixed blood children were able to function in both Aboriginal and European societies. They adapted European technologies to the wilderness, through innovations such as Red River Carts and York Boats, making it possible to transport large volumes of goods. As this group increased in number and married amongst themselves, they developed a new culture, neither European nor Indian, but a fusion of the two - the Métis.

Alberta has the single largest provincial population of Métis people in Canada with 67,000. The creation of eight Métis Settlements in Alberta gives its citizens a land base that no other Métis group in Canada enjoys. Today, the Métis people are crucial elements of the vision to build a stronger Alberta.

To find out more about the history and culture of Alberta's Métis people, visit the Alberta Online Encyclopedia.

To find out more about the history of the Metis Settlements, visit the Metis Settlements History Online website.