Researchers at the University of Lethbridge and Memorial University are engaging with Métis research methodologies in their Fine Arts research practice.
Pushing the boundaries of standard academic research, members of the Red River Jig Family Network project have published a new journal article aimed at understanding Métis music-dance-story–practices that are integrally entangled as a research methodology–likely the first publication of its kind.
The Red River Jig Family Network: Music-Dance-Story as Métis Re-Search Methodology introduces the project and invites readers to join a growing conversation with Métis dance-music-story. Published in the second issue of the Métis-led and women-led journal, Pawaatamihk: Journal of Métis Thinkers, the research team poses a compelling question: What can a Métis-led and Métis-centered project about Métis music and dance look like? The team is particularly interested in what the Red River Jig can teach us about Métis methodologies of ways of being.
The Red River Jig Family Network research group is an Indigenous-led, cross-disciplinary, Canada-wide team comprised of Métis librettist and ULethbridge's first fine arts postdoctoral researcher, Dr. Suzanne Steele (Vancouver), Dr. Michelle Porter (Memorial University) Dr. Monique Giroux (ULethbridge music professor and Canada Research Chair in Métis Music), Lily Overacker (undergraduate student in Anthropology and Indigenous Studies) and Dillon Apsassin (BA '22) (graduate student in Cultural, Social, and Political Thought). Undergraduate music student Life Yulo-Tamana also supported the project through work transcribing the Red River Jig.
Giroux says the article contributes to the growing body of work that redefines research from a Métis perspective.
"I have come to understand the full potential of seeing Métis music not as an object but as a way of being and as a teacher or guide," Giroux says. "This project has been paradigm-shifting for Métis music studies in academia, finally bringing it closer to the vision Métis people have for Métis music studies."
The significance of the Fine Arts in Indigenous research is further highlighted by the composition of the research team, which includes three Métis scholars, a First Nations scholar, and a non-Indigenous scholar.
Giroux speaks passionately about the transformative experience of working closely with her colleagues, saying it has been a life-changing experience.
Apsassin echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the profound impact of the project on his own journey. He says the project allowed him to be “around powerful women who create an environment for growth, intellectual development, engaging visits and strength through Métis knowledge."
The Red River Jig Family Network project is perhaps most significant because it begins from the foundational belief that Métis people have the right to set the agenda for research with Métis music. In this way, this innovative research endeavour not only advances the understanding of Métis music and dance but also showcases the power of Indigenous-led projects in reshaping academic landscapes.