I Knew Two Métis Women

Edward L. Edmonds is a professor of education at the University of
Prince Edward Island and an honorary chief of the Mi’kmaq of Prince
Edward Island.

Gregory Scofield, who is part Métis, recalls growing up in a Métis
family in this fine book of poems (the “two Métis women” of the
title are his mother and aunt). It was a life lived on the poverty line
(“not a bloody nickel / till cheque-day”), with recurring hardship
and pain but also spontaneous joy in simply being alive.

Scofield depicts varying moods: tenderness in “Two Cradle Songs,”
pathos in “I watched her leaving,” defiance in “Half-Breed
Mother,” satire in “They Taught Her,” enduring love in “Put Me
in Your Pocket,” and domestic turbulence in “Blueberries.” His
poetic style is racy and colloquial, set against the undertones of the
country (bluegrass) music both women loved so well. A sprinkling of Cree
phrases (dutifully translated) serves as a reminder of Scofield’s
origins. In brief, here is a sample of a deep-rooted culture among
Canada’s First Nations; it needs to be known.