Ethnogenesis of Metis, Cree and Chippewa in Twentieth Century Montana

by Sperry, Elizabeth

This thesis examines the history of Montanas Metis, Cree and Chippewa people as landless Indians in a twentieth century context. Landlessness among the Metis, Cree and Chippewa became a defining aspect of their identity by the twentieth century that distinguished them from both Indian and white people in the state. This paper discusses the historical processes by which the Metis, Cree and Chippewa became landless, and examines the unique aspects of their social and economic lives as landless Indian people. This paper concludes with an examination of the ethnogenesis of Metis, Cree and Chippewa, which was based upon patterns of merger between discrete multi-ethnic groups.