Half-breed is a term, now considered offensive, used to describe anyone who is of mixed race; although, in the
United States, it usually refers to people who are half
Native American and half
European/
white.[1]
Unusually for its time, under the 1850
Donation Land Claim Act, "half-breed Indians" were eligible for land grants in the
Oregon Territory, as were married white women.
Canada
During the
Pemmican War trials that began in 1818 in Montreal regarding the destruction of the
Selkirk Settlement on the
Red River the terms Half-Breeds, Bois-Brulés, Brulés and Métifs were defined as "Persons descended from Indian women by white men, and in these trials applied chiefly to those employed by the
North-West Company".[4]
The
Canadian government used the term half-breed in the late 19th and early 20th century for people who were of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry.[5] The North-West Half-Breed Commission established by the Canadian government after the
North-West Rebellion also used the term to refer to the
Métis residents of the
North-West Territories. In 1885 children born in the North-West of Métis parents or "pure Indian and white parents" were defined as half-breeds by the commission and were eligible for "Half-breed" Scrip.[6][7][8]
In
Alberta the Métis formed the "Halfbreed Association of Northern Alberta" in 1932.[9]
"
Half-Breed" is a song recorded by
Cher and released as a single in 1973. On October 6, 1973, it became Cher's second
U.S. number one hit as a solo artist, and it was her second solo single to hit the top spot in
Canada on the same date.[10]
Halfbreed is a memoir written by author
Maria Campbell published in 1973. The book details her experience growing up as a
Métis woman in
Canada.