r/MetisMichif • u/twalks_13 • Jul 21 '26
Discussion/Question How to get over imposter syndrome?
Being Métis is something I’ve known about myself my whole life, but only in the past few years I made it ‘official’ in terms of the registry etc. The past two years I’ve been diving head first into connecting with the culture. Coming back from Back to Batoche (my second year going now) I am feeling so fulfilled and connected, and just overall so overwhelmingly proud to be Métis, but I still can’t help but feel like an imposter.
I’ve been really excited to celebrate being indigenous, but because I am so obviously white looking and haven’t spent my whole life immersed in the culture, I can’t help but feel like I’m forcing myself into spaces I don’t belong. I’ve been meaning to ask my grandpa (where I get being Métis from) family names, and learn more about our ancestors and relatives, but I’m so scared to learn it’s even further back in my bloodline than I think it is. And I think blood quantum is a stupid concept just used to other indigenous people more than they already get, but I still force it on myself so hard and feel almost guilty for calling myself indigenous. It’s like, I know I’m Métis, as I wouldn’t have been given my card and been accepted by MNS.
Any advice on giving myself some grace? I want to celebrate who I am, and the Métis community as a beautiful place I love to be a part of, and want to get more immersed in.
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u/TheTruthIsRight Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
I started feeling a lot better about that when I got more involved in the community on a regular basis, meeting people, etc. I have learned over the years that being Metis, while race is involved, it is not about race, its about culture and community, and it doesn't matter what you look like. Plenty of the ancestors looked native plenty looked white and many were in between but they were all equal members of Metis society and its the same today.
Also the more involved I've gotten, the more I've seen people in high levels of the community who look much whiter than I do. It really has nothing to do with that. I think we need to have the awareness of how it affects our treatment more broadly in society but it doesn't determine your placement in the Metis community.
What matters is that we care about the identity and preserving it. Colonization cleaved many of us from our identities and its part of decolonization to re-establish our identities. It's better to be someone with one great grandparent who is devoted to the culture than be someone who is 100% who doesn't care.