A flag raising ceremony marks the beginning of Metis Week in Lethbridge, November 14, 2022. (Image: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Flag raising marks the start of Métis Week in Lethbridge

Nov 14, 2022 | 1:26 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Métis Week is officially underway in Lethbridge.

A flag raising ceremony was held outside of Lethbridge City Hall on Monday, November 14, 2022, to kick off the week-long celebration.

Elder Alice Bissonette provided a speech and a prayer at the ceremony. She said it is important to commemorate Métis heritage.

“In this busy world, it’s easy to forget things, and strangely enough, one of them is culture,” said Bissonette. “We like to keep our culture alive. It’s a very vibrant culture and it’s great to be able to come to City Hall and raise our flag here with the infinity symbol on it.”

Métis Week is an annual celebration of Métis people and culture that also pays tribute to politician and Métis rights leader Louis Riel.

What's Happening in Lethbridge this week: November 12-17, 2024

Nov 12, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this week: November 4-10, 2024

Nov 04, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this week: October 28-November 3, 2024

Oct 28, 2024

During the flag raising ceremony, artwork featuring the Michif word “tan’si” was put on display.

Lethbridge Local Métis President Dr. Adam Browning explained that tan’si is the Métis word for hello. It can be pronounced either tawn-shay or tawn-see, depending on the local Michif dialect.

Similarly to how the City of Lethbridge recognizes the Blackfoot word “Oki” as its official greeting, Browning said it is important to acknowledge other Indigenous cultures.

According to the 2021 census, Lethbridge was home to 2,110 Metis people, up 31.9% from 1600 in 2016.

Browning said the population counts for Métis people can vary from census to census, reflecting how many people feel comfortable registering their Métis heritage as part of their identity.

“That’s important to us. That’s a metric for how we’re doing,” said Browning. “Are Metis people feeling comfortable enough to take up that space? We’re over a third of the Indigenous population in Lethbridge and it’s important for us, in a non-paid elected capacity, that our community is proud of who they are and they’re being supported in that.”

Activities are scheduled throughout Lethbridge for Métis Week 2022.

On Monday, November 14, 2022, there will be an open house at the Metis office at 132-909 3 Avenue North from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

On Wednesday, celebrations will include a flag raising at Lethbridge College at 10:00 a.m., followed by an open house from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the College.

The festivities will wrap up on Friday, with a Metis Music Jam Session from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Crossings Branch of the Lethbridge Public Library.

READ MORE: Reconciliation Week kicks off with flagraising at Lethbridge City Hall

READ MORE: Religious and ethnic demographics in Lethbridge, Alberta and Canada: Census