Yes. There are many Métis communities south of the border. The Métis nation emerged before the 49th parallel was established. There are tremendous linkages between the Métis communities, for instance, in southern Manitoba and southern Saskatchewan and the Métis communities in the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Montana.
The U.S., unlike Canada, doesn't recognize the Métis at all. Historically, the political consciousness of the Métis was much greater in Canada, where you had the Riel resistance, and stuff like that, and Métis provisional governments. South of the border, the American government did not deal with them as distinct people. Either they took land as settlers, white settlers basically, or they'd go to Indian reserves. That was the policy. In fact, there are some reserves in South Dakota that are predominantly Métis, and where the Michif language has been better preserved than in Canada.
For the Métis people, in terms of kinship and history, that border is artificial. A lot of Métis historically would work down in the United States. For a long time, the U.S. policy, even though they didn't have a Métis policy, would allow the presidents of the Métis provincial organizations to write letters confirming that people were Métis, and then they could get green cards to work down there.
I'm not saying it's because of NAFTA, or prior to that the Free Trade Agreement, that all of a sudden that disappeared, but there's been a tremendous erosion in that. Now I think it's pretty much impossible for Métis to get green cards to work in the United States, even though a lot of them like to work down.... Some go to New York and L.A., but a lot of them work in Minneapolis and the Dakotas. It's a big problem that's had a tremendous impact on livelihood.