<P> (17) There is no consensus on who is considered Métis or a non-status Indian, nor need there be . Cultural and ethnic labels do not lend themselves to neat boundaries .' Métis' can refer to the historic Métis community in Manitoba's Red River Settlement or it can be used as a general term for anyone with mixed European and Aboriginal heritage . Some mixed - ancestry communities identify as Métis, others as Indian: </P> <Dl> <Dd> There is no one exclusive Metis People in Canada, anymore than there is no one exclusive Indian people in Canada . The Metis of eastern Canada and northern Canada are as distinct from Red River Metis as any two peoples can be...As early as 1650, a distinct Metis community developed in LeHeve (sic), Nova Scotia, separate from Acadians and Micmac Indians . All Metis are aboriginal people . All have Indian ancestry . </Dd> </Dl> <Dd> There is no one exclusive Metis People in Canada, anymore than there is no one exclusive Indian people in Canada . The Metis of eastern Canada and northern Canada are as distinct from Red River Metis as any two peoples can be...As early as 1650, a distinct Metis community developed in LeHeve (sic), Nova Scotia, separate from Acadians and Micmac Indians . All Metis are aboriginal people . All have Indian ancestry . </Dd> <P> According to the 2006 census in Canada, a total of 389,780 individuals identified as Métis . Alberta had the largest Métis population among the provinces and territories, with 85,495 self - identifying as Métis; of these 7,990 are members of one of Alberta's unique Métis settlements . </P>

Who were the métis and how did they come into being