: ''For the Métis Nation of Canada, see''
Métis people (Canada).
A 'Métis' is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial. The term is of
French origin, and also is a
cognate of ''
mestizo'' in
Spanish. In the
Western Hemisphere, this term usually is used to describe someone born or descended from the union of a European and an
Amerindian. However, the term has been used by other groups around the world, mostly in countries which were under French influence such as Vietnam and is still commonly used by
Francophones today.
In
Canada, the term usually designates a constitutionally recognized individual born of an Aboriginal group descended primarily from the marriages of
Scottish and
French men to
Cree,
Saulteaux, and
Ojibway women in southern
Rupert's Land starting in the late 17th century, and the marriages of French women to Ojibway men starting in
Quebec in the middle 17th century . Their constitutional rights are represented by a growing number of organisations in Canada, such as the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) and the
United States, including the Métis National Council. The MNC voices issues (mainly of self-government) directly to the Government of Canada and internationally, but these issues are usually limited to the Métis of the western regions of Canada. Other Canadian organizations serving Métis interests include the
Congress of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada and the newly started
Council of Diaspora Métis, an organization serving Métis people living outside of North America, usually within the territory of the
European Union.
See also
'Countryborn / Anglo-Metis'
★
List of terms for multiraciality