The West Kootenay Métis Society

The West Kootenay Métis Society is a Métis community organization based in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. Our members come together to celebrate Métis culture, share traditions, and build connections through events, gatherings, workshops, and cultural activities. Our community has evolved over the past few decades from earlier local Métis groups in the Kootenay region to the present-day society, and continues to grow with members who live throughout this region. Today, we are one of the chartered Métis communities recognized within the province of British Columbia’s Métis Nation framework, with a local membership that continues to expand.

Métis people are one of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, distinct from First Nations and Inuit, with roots that trace back to the late 1700s in Western Canada. Métis culture emerged through relationships between European fur traders and Indigenous families and developed into communities with their own language, customs, and cultural practices. There has been a documented Métis presence in the Kootenay region since early explorers and fur trade routes passed through these lands over two centuries ago.

In the West Kootenays, our organization helps keep Métis culture alive by hosting events, sharing traditions, and creating spaces where community members can connect with one another and with their roots. Through education, celebrations, and cultural activities, we honour our history and pass our heritage on to future generations in this beautiful region.

Our organization honours that history by creating spaces where people can connect with Métis traditions, learn about our heritage, and keep our culture alive here in the West Kootenays. Through monthly gatherings, educational workshops, community celebrations, and collaborative cultural projects, we continue to share stories and practices that reflect who we are and where we come from.