14 Quotes by Catherine Richardson

Métis themes tend to come in strands that are closely woven together. In some aspects, it is difficult and inappropriate to separate these threads. (p.33)

Narrative theory proposes that people take in experiences from the social world, which they then analyze and edit (p. 20)

While strategies of colonialism were about removing and seperating people from that which is most important to them, healing and recovery must be about restoring what has been taken, reconnecting people to the stories and context of one's life and family. (p. 19)

The more one realizes they are on a journey to find out who they are (where they come from, who their family is) when this information has been denied, the more it can be understood as a journey back to culture and identity... Stories can be a part of the glue that binds the personal with the social, allowing us to feel part of something greater. (p. 19)

A transformation or shift in one's conception of the cultural self can be difficult to explain to those who have not experienced a sudden shift in identity. (p. 44)

Métis cultural stories play a crucial role in helping "new" Métis (those who have been denied their culture) to recreate their sense of self. (p. 37)

Stories are the medicine that fill in the gaps of the self and show us who we are. (p. 38)

Widespread cultural suffering for Métis people began around the time when the fur trade was nearing its end and the colonial period was beginning (Mackie, 1996) - p. 38

when cultural stories remain hidden and untold, they tend to disappear, at least temporarily, leaving one with a void of information about the self. (p.38)