Cultural and Social Death as a Crime Against Humanity: Métis and the Loss of Nindoodemag
Rudolph C. Rÿser, PhD
Volume 16, Number 2 (2025) 16 (2): 57-65
Keywords Genocide, Indigenous Peoples, Cultural Death, Métis, Nindoodemag, Canadian Residential School System, French Colonization Impact, State-Sponsored Genocide, Impact of Colonization on Indigenous Communities, Legal Implications of Genocidal Acts
Abstract
Genocide against indigenous peoples has caused over 56 million deaths globally. This article contends cultural death precedes physical violence, examining the Métis experience as emblematic. French colonization disrupted Métis society, eroding Nindoodemag kinship systems and cultural cohesion. Emerging from European-native unions, the Métis faced destructive colonial policies, including Canada's residential school system that inflicted intergenerational trauma. The study argues remedies must surpass monetary compensation to address historical trauma comprehensively. Broader analysis reveals how colonization enabled genocide and cultural annihilation, emphasizing the imperative to recognize these crimes within legal frameworks. Restorative justice is presented as essential both for historical reckoning and preventing future atrocities against indigenous populations.
Rudolph C. Rÿser, PhD
Published August 14, 2025
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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