Making space : Métis stories of cultural wellness in higher education

A current issue in higher education institutions is that they take a pan-Indigenous approach to Métis cultural wellness. As a result, Métis students are often served under the pan-Indigenous student umbrella, meaning their unique cultural wellness needs are flattened and not adequately addressed. With more Métis students entering higher education, it is imperative that the resources designed to support their cultural wellness to do so meaningfully. To address this concern, this study explored the experiences, priorities, and strategies of cultural wellness among Métis undergraduates in two Lower Mainland cities. Drawing from Métis and Indigenous theories and scholarship with grounding in a visiting and beading methodology and relational accountability, I visited with three former Métis undergraduate students to explore their understanding and lived experience with cultural wellness. During these sessions, participants shared oral narratives of wellness and began to work on a piece of art that told this story. The metaphor of beading guided the research process, including stages of gathering the materials, waxing the thread, designing a pattern, tacking down, giving away, and letting go. Art constituted as a central component of this study as I created a piece of beadwork that told the story of the entire study. Through conversations and participant-made artwork, I found that cultural wellness holds a fluid and changing meaning often associated to positive relationships with other Métis people and comfort with making sense of one’s Métis identity. Priorities for cultural wellness were similar to how participants understood it: they wanted to have opportunities to build and sustain kinship relationships, and Métis-specific cultural resources like Métis Elders and Métis cultural activities. This study contributes to Métis scholarship and higher education by demonstrating that pan-Indigenous approaches are insufficient for meeting the cultural wellness needs of Métis students. Institutions are called to move towards a culturally distinct approach to wellness by creating Métis-specific resources, spaces for kinship building, and access to Métis Elders and cultural activities. In doing so, this work is offered back to the Métis community as a resource to advocate for the supports they deserve.