Métis Coming Together

Laura Forsythe, PhD, is a Michif Assistant Professor at the University of Winnipeg in the Faculty of Education. Forsythe’s research focus is Métis-specific contributions to the academy, Métis inclusion eff orts, Métis research methodologies, and educational sovereignty. She is also the elected Bison Local Chairperson of the Manitoba Metis Federation, the official democratic and self-governing political representation of the Red River Metis. Her kinship ties include the Huppe, Ward, Berard, Morin, Lavallee, and Cyr lines. Her ancestors worked for the Northwest and Hudson’s Bay Companies, fought in the Victory of Frog Plain, and owned Lot 31, the site of a contemporary Métis space called Pakan Town.

Jennifer Markides, PhD, is a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta, Tier II Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Youth Well-Being and Education, and an Associate Professor in the Werklund School of Education and the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on the holistic wellbeing of youth and Indigenous education. Her Métis family surnames are McKay, Favel, Ballenden/Ballendine, Linklater, and McDermott/MacDermott, including Scrip records and connections to Red River.