The Métis Girl

Written by Meghann Tanner Friday, 21 October 2011 10:09

She has a gambler's knife hidden in her leggings, the fastest horses on the prairie, a pocketful of money ... and a plan.

She is The Métis Girl, a strong-willed teenager caught in the struggle between the opposing cultures of the Canadian West. On one side of her family are the famed Blackfoot tribes. On the other side are American Quakers with strong pacifist beliefs. Meanwhile the railway is bringing in thousands of British settlers. (Métis: mixed blood. 'May-tee.')

She is Mary James, born with copper dun skin, bright blue eyes and a warrior spirit.

Written in the first person, the story opens with Mary outwitting an arrogant British aristocrat in a horse race. A bloody brawl erupts and Mary spends six months in Calgary's police cells ... and the aristocrat goes free.

Paroled, Mary attends her family's unconventional Sun Dance ceremony where, with blood flowing over her chest, she discovers an astonishing truth. Supported by the love of her family, Mary is determined to make a fresh start. The bravery she showed racing horses is tested repeatedly as she confronts a frontier culture where a Métis woman with ambitious plans is neither respected nor wanted. 

Whether it's unrequited love or running her own drilling rig, Mary takes on life's toughest challenges and won't back down.

But those closest to her wonder how long she can control her gambler's knife. They know how well she hides her childhood memories of being held hostage by whiskey traders, and they know those memories are never further away than the knife she now hides in her riding boot.

From beneath the brim of her fedora, The Métis Girl's bright blues challenge the cultural traditions of the Canadian West from a perspective that makes one wonder if it isn't time to rewrite the official history.

Review

“What a privilege it has been to read this series. The Métis Girl brings the Sun On The Mountains series full circle and makes one want to start reading the series all over again. (I read Book 2 before Book 1.)

“What an inspiring book, especially for those who dwell on the past and use their past as a crutch from getting on with their lives. Acceptance of ones self is such a hard lesson at times and yet this series demonstrates over and over how acceptance of ones self leads to a rich and rewarding life.

“This set should be in all school libraries, especially those where students of the First Nations attend. I can see the series being used as a tool to bring greater understanding and acceptance between all students. I see also these books as a motivation tool to be true to ones self and as a result to becoming successful in ones own life.

My only problem with the series – it was hard to put down once I started reading it!!!”

Review by: David Bouchard, Metis author, educator and speaker