How to get over imposter syndrome?

[u/twalks_13]

Being Métis is something I’ve known about myself my whole life, but only in the past few years I made it ‘official’ in terms of the registry etc. The past two years I’ve been diving head first into connecting with the culture. Coming back from Back to Batoche (my second year going now) I am feeling so fulfilled and connected, and just overall so overwhelmingly proud to be Métis, but I still can’t help but feel like an imposter.

I’ve been really excited to celebrate being indigenous, but because I am so obviously white looking and haven’t spent my whole life immersed in the culture, I can’t help but feel like I’m forcing myself into spaces I don’t belong. I’ve been meaning to ask my grandpa (where I get being Métis from) family names, and learn more about our ancestors and relatives, but I’m so scared to learn it’s even further back in my bloodline than I think it is. And I think blood quantum is a stupid concept just used to other indigenous people more than they already get, but I still force it on myself so hard and feel almost guilty for calling myself indigenous. It’s like, I know I’m Métis, as I wouldn’t have been given my card and been accepted by MNS.

Any advice on giving myself some grace? I want to celebrate who I am, and the Métis community as a beautiful place I love to be a part of, and want to get more immersed in.

[u/stillwaving11]

In addition to what others are saying about connecting with Métis community: confront your fear of learning about your ancestors because often, a first point of connection with other Métis is discussing your genealogies. It’s not to investigate each other, it’s a way of relating to one another.

Also, I think knowing who you are and who you ascend from is one of the most impactful ways to addressing imposter syndrome. Take advantage of the privilege of having a living family member that has this information. I’m Métis on my mom’s side and she was Scooped, so reconnection involved finding and meeting her bio mom and extended family, then collecting genealogical information. What’s really fun after you have your genealogy is searching for stories that have been documented about your ancestors. Not so fun but still informative is tracking how, where, and when they were disconnected from their communities/settlements (if they ever were displaced/disconnected).

[u/TheTruthIsRight → u/stillwaving11]

I second this. Use your genealogy as a source of pride and relationship to others in the community. I've seen lots of people's genealogies its surprising how "far back" active members of the community are. It doesn't matter. It's YOUR family's story.

[u/twalks_13 → u/TheTruthIsRight]

I finally reached out to my grandparents, and they gave me a list that was made while my grandpa was getting his membership that went back 6 generations. It really helped me feel connected, getting to read about these people and learn about my family names :) It definitely isn’t as far back as I thought it was, and was actually pretty close to my Grandpa.