Metis fiddle music is as unique to the Metis as an Atlantic Canada fiddler is to the Acadians. The music was provided by a fiddle and a brilliant accompaniment upon a large tin pan, as well as the clack of spoons.

The fiddle is the main instrument used in Metis music. Many Metis played the fiddle, an instrument inherited from both their Scottish and French ancestors. They were often handmade from maple wood and birch, as most Metis did not have the money to buy them ready-made.

While most music is contained in a bar structure, traditional Metis fiddle music is not. Fiddling in a barless structure, using only a small part of the bow creates a bounce to the tune and is typically a Metis style of music handed down orally for many centuries.

Rhythm is supplied by the beating out of rhythm with spoons or heels, accompanied by syllables hummed to simple melodies also known as "turlutage".

The uneven and irregular beats in traditional Metis fiddle music create a bounce taken up by the dancers that is as unique as the fiddling itself. Extra beats are introduced making the Metis jig a rapid moving dance. The Metis fiddle songs are much faster in tempo and tend to have a down beat note. These down beat notes are utilized to change the fancy step work in the Metis dance. The fiddle is tuned differently - the bottom string is raised from G up to A.

The Metis combined the reels and waltzes from their European ancestry (Irish, Scotch and French) with the dances of the Plains Indians: creating dances unique to themselves. Some of the most difficult dances of any Aboriginal people come from the Metis.

The traditional dance of the Metis is the Red River Jig. The Red River Jig is a special piece of fiddle music that is played and danced in two sections. When the fiddle plays the high section the dancer does a basic jig step, when the fiddler changes to the low section, the dancer does fancy step work. Upwards of fifty steps are known to exist.

Not everyone can dance the Red River Jig or a Quadrille. Dances were energetic, with each couple, particularly the men, trying to outdo their companions. When the down beat notes start, Metis people change to lightning fast sets of steps in the Red River Jig that can almost not be followed by the human eye. Metis People are highly competitive and contests abounded then and today, to see which Metis can create the flashiest and most unfollowable steps.

Some of the names of Metis dances are Quadrille, Red River Jig, Duck Dance, La Double Gigue, Chicken Reel, and Drops of Brandy. If you are ever within hearing distance of a fiddler playing the Red River Jig, you will be very hard pressed to keep your feet still. Many would dance until they had completely worn out a pair of moccasins

There is no doubt the free spirit and love of life can be seen in Metis dance and music.