By Glenn Hicks

Métis musician explains controversial song

Aug 13, 2018 | 2:00 PM

The man behind a controversial Métis song being aired across Northern Saskatchewan, says he never expected the level of criticism from some quarters and his work is all about Métis pride.

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) said the lyrics to “We’re Métis”, a track currently on the play-list of MBC radio, are destructive and harmful.

“I never expected any [reaction] like that to this capacity,” the song’s writer Derek Maurice told paNOW. “As a songwriter we’re limited to the lyrics we choose to utilize in our songs and the true meaning of this song has evidently been misinterpreted and misconstrued to have negative connotations.”

The song, which Maurice performs with Dean Gautier, includes lyrics such as “we don’t get five dollars,” as well as “we pay our taxes on our very own,“ and “we pay our cigarettes, gasoline and all of the clothes we’ve worn.” 

That incurred the ire of the FSIN late last week who said the song “portrays and elaborates on several false and ignorant stereotypes of First Nations people.”  FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said the song highlighted why more Treaty education was needed while the song perpetuated a destructive and harmful stereotype. 

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But Maurice, 43, who said he’s been playing and singing since he was a child in Beauval, insists the track is a pride song, is his own intellectual property and he had no intention of insulting his “status brothers.” He added no one had the right to explain the meaning of the song based on their own assumptions.

“It’s me expressing that I wish we had the same exemptions as them,” Maurice said. “We, as Métis people in the past feel we have not been accepted in either the First Nations or non-First Nations world. I also recognize First Nations do pay taxes however they are exempt [on various items] on First Nations land.”

He said he wanted his people to be given the same treatment as First Nations and opportunities to excel as a nation.

Maurice does agree with Chief Cameron that more education is needed surrounding Treaty laws.

“If people were more educated on who has what and who doesn’t, then we’d all have less to complain about,” he said.

As for the widespread reaction to the song Saskatoon-based Maurice, who works as a cook at the Key Lake uranium mine, figured the positive far outweighed the negative and he was thankful for those close to him.

“My uncle Alex Maurice and my partner Crystal, who in fact is Treaty, support me all the way, “he said. “It’s kind of humourous that people think that I’m attacking others when I’m the one under attack here.”

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow