Proud to be Mtis: a rhythmic journey played out in David Bouchard's book

For author and storyteller David Bouchard, either you are Mtis or you are not,there is no in-between.

Bouchard joined CBC Radio's Saskatchewan Weekend on Sunday to discuss his new book Proud to Be Mtis in which he puts himself in the shoes of prominent Mtis historical figures such as Louis Riel, Gabriel Dumont or CuthbertGrant to reflect on the impacts they've all made throughout history.

Bouchard described the project as an artist's dream.

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"This has given me a chance to look into some of these characters and do some historical research on people we often hear of," Bouchard said.

Bouchard promises entertainment value in addition to historical and educational aspects, adding he uses rhythm and rhyme in the work.

The work has also allowed him to look at otherMtis people, politics and himself.

"We've always been the strongest advocates for who we are," Bouchard said. "We've always been our own worst enemies in that we've always fought."

One such character in the book is Bouchard's grandfather. Bouchard said his grandfather had Ojibwe and Osage roots, yet never spoke of them.

In the book, the grandfather laments his reluctance to mention his roots during his life.

"If anybody has native blood that runs through them, I think that they have not only the right, but the responsibility to claim that person, to know who they are and stand up and speak their name," Bouchard said.

"We struggle with whether or not we have the right to reclaim that heritage, of if in fact because we weren't raised in that environment, we can even do that."

Bouchard said there are countless others, like him,who grew up not speaking of their Indigenous roots. The book is dedicated to Bouchard'sdaughter, who acknowledged her roots in front of her school, which instilled pride in him.

"When you stop speaking your grandparents' names, they kind of disappear. I don't want my grandparents to disappear."