Fiddle Music

The fiddle has figured prominently in the lifestyle of the Métis people for hundreds of years. It is the main instrument used in the Métis jigs.

The famous 'Red River Jig' has become the centrepiece of Métis music. Since this European instrument was exceedingly expensive in early Canada, especially for the grassroots Métis communities, many craftsmen learned how to make their own.



Today, the fiddle is still used in celebrations and is a symbol of our early beginnings and the joyful spirit in which we lived and grew. Communities hold fiddle and jigging contests and give the instrument as a symbolic gesture of nationhood and pride.