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- EXPLORE CULTURE -

Lii Michif

Lii Michif: The Michif Language

The Michif language, an endangered Métis language born in the early 1800s, is rapidly disappearing. Michif developed during the early 1800s along the Red River in what is now Manitoba and North Dakota, the Michif language is a distinct language that is a mix of Cree, Ojibwe and French that emerged as a unique cultural/linguistic expression of the Métis people.

After over a century of persecution, residential schools, poverty and assimilation, the Michif language has been largely forgotten by the descendants of the original speakers. It is estimated that there are currently only about 1,100 people in Canada who can speak Michif, and about 500 in the United States (mostly at Turtle Mountain).

​Michif is spoken in all three Prairie provinces, and into Montana and North Dakota. Michif-speaking communities include those in central and southeastern Saskatchewan (from the Battlefords north to Debden and southeast towards Yorkton and into Qu’Appelle), southern and central Manitoba (St-Lazare, Camperville and Duck Bay), and northern North Dakota, where, in the Turtle Mountains, the language is known as “Turtle Mountain Chippewa-Cree.”

A Conversation in Michif


Michif Language Links

  • About Michif (The Canadian Encyclopedia)
  • Michif Dictionary (Gabriel Dumont Institute)
  • Michif to Go (Google Play Store)
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About Dibaajimowin

Dibaajimowin was created as a way to share interesting and unique stories and other information about the Metis and Ojibwe people (and others) so that these can be used by our guests to educate themselves and others about the history, culture, and language of the people.

We hope you enjoy everything you find here and are glad to have you return in the future. If you are interested in using our content for educational or personal purposes, please give proper attribution and credit to our page. It is important that we acknowledge the tellers of stories and the creators of intellectual property in all forms.

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  • Home
  • Dibaajimowin Blog
  • The People
  • Michif Language
  • Ojibwe Language
  • Books
  • Colorized Photos
  • GIS Mapping
    • Metis Community Map
    • US & Canadian Reservations
  • Blog Archives
    • Tawn Kaayaash
    • Metis Stories
    • Women's Stories
    • Elder Stories
    • Family Stories
    • School Stories
    • Love Stories
    • Legend Stories
  • Virtual Library