First - The name DesJarlis, Dejarlis, DeGarlis, and its other variations is common on many of the northern reservations in Montana, South and North Dakota, especially at Turtle Mountain, I know personally know people with that name at Browning, Heart Butte, Rocky Boy's, even Fort Belknap. All of the people I know with that last name are not considered Métis or mixed blood in their communities and all are enrolled.
On the subject of Métis, like AnnOminos said, it has two meanings, especially in the US. Some people like Brooke Medicine Eagle, who can't verify their so-called tribal identities are now all saying "I'm Métis..." Brooke switched to Métis when the Crow told her she had to stop saying that she is Crow and her twinky ads in Sedona now say, “Métis elder and medicine woman.” If you watch the video White Shaman and Plastic Medicine Men there is a woman in there who also says, "My heritage is Métis. My anglo-Saxon name is Rosaline, but my spirit name is…. (something very new-age, but I forget what it was)
However, there are many other people in Montana, especially Helena, Lewistown, and Missoula who can trace their heritage back to Lewis Riel, who escaped to Montana with many of his followers after fleeing Canada during the Red River Rebellion who identify as Métis also. When Riel returned to Canada many stayed in Montana and their decedents still live there. These Métis and their relatives in Canada are officially recognized by S35 Treaty rights as indigenous. The problem is that the treaty recognizes the category, but does not recognize any criteria for membership or inclusion. It is a very difficult issue on both sides of the border. Most of the people I know who are Montana Métis practice a Catholicism that includes both Indian and Catholic traditions and uses the fiddle for their “traditional music.”
I agree with Debbie that it is still common, especially in the evangelical churches, to dismiss traditional ceremonies as devil worship. I personally had a preacher call me out in public for attending Sun Dance. And it seems that it is also common for both the Catholics and Protestants to claim that they are the only "true" Christians, while the other are something else. I know my granddaughter came home from a friends house and made a statement about how one of her friends was a Christian and the other was a Catholic. But then I've heard that same line from people in Europe too, so I guess it is pretty common everywhere.
So this is a long wordy way to say that she may well be enrolled, not enrolled, part native or non-native, there is just no way to tell. What her beliefs are have little or nothing to do with her ethnicity. I know MANY Native Americans who are devote Christians and who would agree with her, sad as that might be in my opinion. I, like Debbie, have found that this is a no win situation and not my place to judge. I just try to do my thing and as long as they don’t try to mission-ize me, they can do theirs.
Besides, there are few American Indian conferences that I attend where an elder does not do their prayer in English and to Jesus. This issue came up in one of my college classes in Graduate school. In a class where every student was Native American. One of the girls, who was proud to be Christian, said that those in the class who were putting her down for being Christian were no different than the Missionaries who forced her grandparents to convert. She said that she had found peace with her beliefs and did not feel that someone less invested in their communities than she was, had the right to judge her, or her religion, or to tell her how she should believe. Her grandfather, who was a very well known medicine man, told her that to judge others for following their own path was NOT the traditional way to walk, especially if what they were doing was not harming anyone else.
Several years ago I was invited to a “traditional ceremony” when I was speaking at the sacred lands conference in Seattle and when we got there it turned out to be an Indian Shaker Church. There are a lot of leaders out there that I know who are both traditional and Christian, so I guess what I am saying is that there are many, many different traditions and every person believes their way is the right way. What I can not tolerate is someone who does what they do to make money. Which it seems this woman is doing. Or someone who does not believe in what they are doing, and who knows they are lying but does it just to take advantage of someone who is in need. They make me sick and very, very angry.
