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Métis spirituality traces its roots back to Aboriginal spiritualism as well as European Christian tradition. Métis religious life was thus both spiritually aware of the land and of the interrelationships of the living creatures upon it; as well as devoted to Christian religious obligations, such as the Catholic Mass, and the observance of Feast Days.

It was the type of spirituality that reflected a world where Christian missions and schools were charged with the conversion of Aboriginal beliefs into Christian modes of thinking. Religious pilgrimages were as likely to lead the Métis to wild places sacred to the Aboriginal peoples as to the sanctuary of a church.

In its own way, Métis religious life was one that embraced a broader - and, at times, more contentious - spiritual canvas than either the Aboriginal or European traditions that gave rise to it. In the Métis people, two disparate religious traditions struggled to arrive at a common ground, and the spiritual practices that emerged could often be as unique as the individual who practiced them. 

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Traditional Beliefs

Anglican/Methodist Missions and Schools

Catholic Missions and Schools

Pilgrimage (Kootenay Plains)