Decades into his career, Saskatchewan singer songwriter Donny Parenteau has reached a new audience. The veteran Métis fiddler and recording artist is lending his music to a Roblox game, aiming to teach the world about Métis culture. His song Métis Spirit – Home Again is featured on the Roblox online gaming platform in the Métis Life game - performed by a Roblox version of Parenteau himself. Parenteau says the Métis National Council approached him about using the song after he performed it for the first time at an event in Ottawa. “They said we would like to record it, and I didn’t know what the whole goal was until the following week,” Parenteau explained. “I had to ask my daughter, what is Roblox? And she says Dad, that’s huge.” He recorded a Michif version as well, which proved a challenge as he doesn’t speak the language. “I wrote the whole song in English. They took what I had written and said ‘let’s go ahead and translate that to Michif.’ It was tough to do, but the song came naturally to me, basically just telling the story of the Métis.” Inspiration for the song struck last December, while Parenteau was sitting at his desk reflecting on a quote by Louis Riel. “My people will sleep for 100 years, but when they awake, it will be the artists who give them their spirit back,” Parenteau says about the quote. “I had that written on my computer and I thought, what could I write around that? I had never written a Métis song before, so I took that, wrote it, and that’s where it started.” Parenteau says he wants the song to help players learn about Métis history and culture. “I hope it makes Métis people across Canada feel proud. Be proud of who you are.”
