Episodes

On this final episode of Paykiiwikay - Season 1, we travel to the thriving Metis community of Ile-a-la-Crosse, the heartland of the Northern Michif dialect, to meet with the man who has arguably done more than any other to revitalize Northern Michif as a living language. This year Vincent Ahenakew is retiring as the Principal of the Rossignol High School where, for decades, he spearheaded efforts to bring Michif into the school curriculum. He was so successful, that having passed a course in Mic...

"Métis people, we use a lot of colour in our beadwork. We're very colourful people as it is, and so we infuse that into our artwork. We're known as the flower-beadwork people because all of our clothing traditionally was very heavily adorned with these very beautiful, intricate flower patterns." Amy Briley, a leading Metis traditional beadwork and sewing expert, is our guest on this episode of Paykiiwikay. She and Leah talk about the history and traditions of Metis beadwork, one of the defining...

On this episode of Paykiiwikay, we're joined by award winning Métis educator, Cort Dogniez. He is an active leader in the revival of the Michif language for urban Métis in his hometown of Saskatoon and beyond. A teacher with decades of experience in Indigenous education, he is currently the Métis Education Program Leader based at St. Michael’s Elementary School in Saskatoon. There he developed and helps guide the groundbreaking core Michif program for young learners that was launched in 2019. A...

Métis elder Joanna Potyondi traces her roots back to one of the first Michif leaders, Cuthbert Grant, the hero of a crucible moment in the birth of the Metis people, the Battle of Seven Oaks in 1816. And she has Grant's shotgun to prove it. Now in her 80's, Grandma Joe was raised in Roche Percée, Southern Saskatchewan, by her grandparents who were born in the midst of the Métis Resistance of the 1880's. She has lived her life steeped in the rich heritage of Métis horse culture that grew out of t...

In this episode, award-winning Métis musician Adam Daigneault talks about his love of traditional Métis fiddle music, his influences and mentors in northern Saskatchewan, the centuries long history of the fiddle in the northwest and its importance to Métis people. Adam is also the fiddler who plays the Paykiiwikay theme song, Buffalo Gals. He tells us about the Red River origins of this classic Michif song. Canadian Geographic and Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN–S) are proud to present Paykiiwika...

This episode of Paykiiwikay takes a deep dive into the history of the Michif language, from its earliest roots in the fur trade, up to the present day and why Michif language preservation is so important. Our guest is Norman Fleury. He is considered the world\'s leading Michif language expert, translator, and knowledge keeper. Originally from St. Lazare, Manitoba, Norman has authored and translated numerous books about the Michif. He has worked extensively with Elders to preserve and document th...

Jenni Lessard is one of Canada’s top chefs and proud of her Saskatchewan Metis roots. She and Leah talk about why making and processing traditional Metis foods, including the harvesting of local ingredients, helps contribute to the preservation of Michif language and identity. Chef Jenny Lessard is a professional Metis chef employed as the Indigenous Culinary Consultant at the Wanuskewin Heritage Park in Saskatoon. Canadian Geographic and Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN–S) are proud to present P...

In this episode Leah and guest Calvin Racette explore stories of language loss and its impact on Métis Elders and community members. Elder Calvin teaches us about the historical factors that have led to the Michif language becoming endangered today. This episode talks about the Road Allowance experience and how racism and exclusion devalued Michif language retention and fluency. A former Executive Director of the Gabriel Dumont Institute, Calvin’s early career was spent as a researcher/curricu...

Andrea Menard is an award winning actress, singer, playwright and public speaker. She has starred in Netflix TV series, given Ted Talks and sung for royalty, and all of this began, she says, performing at Michif kitchen parties when she was a child. Now based in Vancouver, decades into her successful career she says she still draws heavily on her Michif roots to keep her grounded and help her explore creative boundaries. Canadian Geographic and Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN–S) are proud to pres...

Leading Michif educator, Russell Fayant, shares the history of the Metis Nation in Saskatchewan and his own story as an example of how the Michif language almost died, and is now rallying back though SUNTEP Regina programs that promote Michif language, and summer immersion programs at Lebret Farms. Russell Fayant is Michif from li vallee qu’appelle, Saskatchewan, Canada. He is an instructor for the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program and resides in oskana ka-asasteki, otherwise ...