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Vibrant Métis art, ranging from
beadwork to contemporary mixed
media paintings, decorates the walls of
the Rupertsland Métis Student Centre
at NorQuest College.
In November, the centre opened its
doors as the first Métis-specific student
space within Canada. As a partnership
between Rupertsland Institute (RLI)
and NorQuest College, it’s open
to all post-secondary students.
Métis students from any college or
university can access RLI educational
and funding support, while its
METI-S (Métis Education Training
Information Services) Advisors help
with all the details. Meanwhile, all
students — whether Métis or not —
are also welcome to partake in events,
learn about Métis culture through
various resources, or use the centre as
a quiet study space.
“It’s only been in recent years
that there have been Indigenous
student centres. That’s been a huge
step towards reconciliation. But we
were hearing from [Métis] students
[through Rupertsland] that … they
just didn’t see themselves reflected,”
says Lisa Savill, Director of Métis
Education and Post-Secondary
Initiatives at RLI.
Meanwhile, through applications
for the Belcourt Brousseau Métis
Awards (BBMA) — endowments
overseen by Edmonton Community
Foundation (ECF) — BBMA founders
noticed a lack of Métis representation
in post-secondary institutions and the
work force.
RLI is an affiliate of the Métis
Nation of Alberta with a vision of “a
skilled, knowledgeable, and self-
reliant Métis Nation,” as described
on its website. The Rupertsland Métis
Student Centre very much fits into that
vision, says Savill.
NorQuest, RLI and the Métis
Nation of Alberta entered into an
endowment partnership in 2008 and
today there is a $1 million endowment
in place for scholarships to Métis
learners taking many programs
through the college. NorQuest is the
largest community college in Alberta
— with a large number of Métis
students. The college offered RLI its
own space in a highly visible location.
It was a natural fit, according to Savill.
“With over 200 years of resilient
history, Métis students are being
recognized and celebrated in school
settings that have traditionally
excluded their voices, states the
Rupertsland Institute. “Though Métis
students have been creating success
in these systems for generations,
authentic Métis stories have been
dismissed in the narratives of being
mixed (only part-Indigenous), or →
A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP CREATES A
SPACE FOR MÉTIS STUDENTS, AND
THOSE WHO WANT TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT MÉTIS CULTURE
BY CAROLINE BARLOTT
PHOTOGRAPHY MAT SIMPSON