Métis (people)

Métis (pronounced "MEH tee"): A Canadian ethnic group, consisting of people whose ancestors were partly of the Cree, Ojibway or Saulteaux First Nations, and partly European fur traders (usually French or Scottish). Traditionally, the Métis spoke a mixed language called Michif.

The name is French, and related to the Spanish word mestizo. It carries the same connotation of "mixed blood"; traced back far enough it stems from the Latin word mixtus, the past participle of the verb "to mix".