Project 57 Week 27: Métis jigging

The Jig known as the “Métis Jig” is said to have begun in “the mid-1800's” in the Red River area and is “a combination of First Nations dance, Scottish dances, and French-Canadian character dances, as well as the reel, jig, and square sets (Canadian quadrilles)” accompanied by fiddle music (Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF)). The jig is a form of “step dancing” which is taught in Métis communities at young ages through participation, such as by watching and dancing with family members and friends at events. Moreover, jigs have an “energetic tempo” and “fancy footwork”, and sometimes certain unique “footwork moves” can be traced back to “identify the dancer’s family or community of origin” (MMF).  

The well-known Métis jig known as the “Red River Jig”, or “oyaache mannin” in Michif, accompanies a popular 1800s fiddle tune “known from Alaska to James Bay” (Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada). The music and dance that completes the Métis jig is emblematic of the blend of Indigenous and European cultures, such as the case for the song the “Red River Jig” is based on as it hails from Scotland. The dance steps of the “Red River Jig” are a unique combination of steps drawn from “Plain Indian footwork and Scottish, Irish, and French-Canadian dance forms such as stomps, quadrilles, reels, and jigs” (Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada). The Métis have long been heralded for their love of celebration, dance, and social activity, and the Métis jig is emblematic of a collective and plural community celebration.  

For more information, please consider the following resources:  

• The Red River Jig Perf. John Arcand. The Virtual Museum of Métis History and Culture. 3:08 minute audio.
• Cultural Video Series: Indigenous - How to Métis Jig. Directed by City of Surrey, 2020. YouTube, 5 minutes.
• The Social Poetics of the Red River Jig in Alberta and Beyond: Meaningful Heritage and Emerging Performance S. Quick, Ethnologies (Québec), vol. 30, no. 1, 2008, pp. 77–101.
• Fiddle Dancer = Li Daanseur Di Vyaeloon by Anne Patton and Wilfred Burton ; Translated by Norman Fleury ; Illustrated by Sherry Farrell Racette. The Gabriel Dumont Institute, 2007.