Métis Identity and Culture in Health and Wellbeing: An Interview with Dr. Heather Foulds and the Influence of the Red River Jig.

Métis dance at Devil’s Lake, Dakota Territory, ca. 1870. Drawing by Corporal Louis Voelkerer, Company A, Thirty-first United States Infantry. Minnesota Historical Society (public domain)

By Lisa Hebert and Kevin Simas

Research showing the positive health benefits of dance are abundant (Atkins et al., 2019; Fong Yan et al., 2018; Ilić et al., 2024), but less is known about the impacts of culture-specific dance, such as the Red River Jig of the Métis People. Dr. Heather J.A. Foulds researches these impacts, including community, language, connection to the land and cultural identity to facilitate and influence health and wellbeing within the Métis community and beyond. 

Highlighting the importance of Métis-explicit research, Dr. Foulds shares, “Métis People are a specific Nation of Indigenous Peoples. Our history and colonial relationship, like our health and wellbeing, are unique from that of other Indigenous Nations in Canada. Supporting the health and wellbeing of Métis People requires distinctions-based approaches, considering the unique complexities of identity and history.” As a Métis woman herself, Dr. Foulds holds a sense of responsibility to her community, above and beyond her research or work, “I see my research as a way to serve and support my community. Doing research with Métis dancing, and the Red River Jig in particular, is a means of making the dance more accessible to the community and providing opportunities for Métis People to learn and practice the dance. Health research in this area is also a means of supporting the health and wellbeing of my community and Nation.” 

The Red River Jig is an intricate dance with rapid and skillful footwork, danced to fiddle music. The dance was influenced by the Plains First Nation dances and Scottish, Irish, Scandinavian and French-Canadian traditional dances. Fur traders from Scotland, Ireland and France introduced the fiddle to these communities and the music was passed on through generations taking on a unique style of its own (Hafez et al., 2021, Red River Jig – Turtle Mountain-Souris Plains Heritage Association, n.d.). “The Red River Jig is one of the central elements of Métis culture. This dance came to exist at the time the Métis Nation was born. The history of the Métis Nation and our culture are embedded within the dance” explained Dr. Foulds, “(It) has always been about bringing different people and cultures together, building relationships, and celebration. Studying this dance is an important way of sharing, promoting, and supporting Métis culture and Métis People, in an inclusive and celebratory way.” 

Dr. Foulds' has taken the time to evaluate the Métis Red River Jig and its impact on the health and spiritual wellbeing of Métis People. Through qualitative interviews investigating the cultural and spiritual impact of the dance, Dr. Foulds has identified four main themes categorizing the experiences of Métis Red River “Jiggers”. The 1st theme focuses on community bonding: she found that the Red River Jig is seen as its own source of community social support wherein participation creates and strengthens bonds and ties to the Métis community. The 2nd theme focuses on identity: learning and performing the dance builds a heightened sense of awareness and pride in their Métis ancestral roots, allowing Métis People to embrace and reclaim their culture and identity. The 3rd theme focuses on spiritual connectedness: the Red River Jig engages the mind, body, and spirit, wholistically connecting one to their whole self; this connectedness is viewed as an emotional, physical, mental, and cultural connectedness, wholistically fueled by the dance. The 4th theme focuses on cultural healing: the Red River Jig holds therapeutic value, providing a means of healing from present and historical trauma. With these identified themes, Dr. Foulds was able to highlight how cultural Métis traditions, such as the Red River Jig, are vital to restoring cultural identity, improving their sense of a Métis community, and facilitating the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and wellbeing of the Métis people. The Red River Jig serves as a “conduit” to bring Métis people back to their roots: their Métis culture, community, history and identity.  

Dr. Foulds’ has also investigated the use of the Red River Jig as an exercise, in a dance class study with before-and-after health assessments. She found that it can be classified as an “intense” exercise, with intensity levels equivalent to fast running, biking, and aerobics with weights. While more quantitative data are being assessed, preliminary results show that Red River Jigging should be intense enough to improve the fitness levels of active individuals, and that it may improve mental health in a similar manner to that of typical aerobic exercise. Further, consistent practice was found to improve physical fitness, positively impacting cardiovascular health while decreasing the risk for cardiovascular disease, and specifically improving tandem stance performance (i.e., balance). 

Dr. Foulds’ research highlights the importance of Métis-specific experiences when it comes to the health and wellbeing of Métis People. Culture, identity, and community are an important trio of factors for Métis-specific health and wellbeing. The traditional Métis Red Rivier Jig holds important implications when it comes to promoting these factors. In addition, the dance holds valuable health and wellbeing implications, with its demonstrated potential for use as an exercise and promoting many health-related outcomes. Overall, the Red River Jig holds spiritual, historical, and cultural importance for Métis People, while educating, fostering connectedness, strengthening the community and helping Métis People build a stronger sense of cultural identity. 

---

Métis sash with fiddle. Courtesy of Dr. Heather J.A. Foulds

About Dr. Foulds, (Métis): An Associate Professor in the College of Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Foulds holds a PhD in Experimental Medicine from UBC, a M.Sc. in Human Kinetics and a B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She is the Chair of the Heart & Stroke/CIHR Indigenous Early Career Women’s Heart and Brain Health, and Co-Scientific Director of aen mamawii kiiayaahk (Healing Together) Métis Health and Wellness Research Network. 

This blog is a part of a series exploring how physical activity builds resilience against stress-related brain changes and mental health disorders.​

​References:

1. Atkins, R., Deatrick, J. A., Gage, G. S., Earley, S., Earley, D., & Lipman, T. H. (2019). Partnerships to Evaluate the Social Impact of Dance for Health: A Qualitative Inquiry. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 36(3), 124–138. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370016.2019.1630963 
2. Fong Yan, A., Cobley, S., Chan, C., Pappas, E., Nicholson, L. L., Ward, R. E., Murdoch, R. E., Gu, Y., Trevor, B. L., Vassallo, A. J., Wewege, M. A., & Hiller, C. E. (2018). The Effectiveness of Dance Interventions on Physical Health Outcomes Compared to Other Forms of Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine, 48(4), 933–951. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0853-5 
3. Hafez, O., Johnson, S., LaFleur, J., Moore, S., Ferguson, L. J., Rodgers, C. D., Chilibeck, P. D., & Foulds, H. J. (2021). “A spoke in the wheel”: Understanding experiences of ‘Métis Red River Jig’ dancers and impacts of the Métis Red River Jig on health and well-being. Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport (SCAPPS Refereed Abstracts Repository), 52(1), Article 1. https://www.scapps.org/jems/index.php/1/article/view/2661 
4. Ilić, A., Marinkovic, D., Herodek, R., Vlašić, J., & Jovanović, S. (2024). Effects of modern dance programs on improving health-related physical fitness in girls. Frontiers in Public Health, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1425974 
5. Red River Jig – Turtle Mountain-Souris Plains Heritage Association. (n.d.). Retrieved February 12, 2025, from https://vantagepoints.ca/stories/red-river-jig/