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| Who are the Métis? |
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| The Métis evolved in the historic 18th and 19th centuries. They were born of a mixture of French and Scottish fur traders with Cree, Ojibwa, Saulteaux and Assiniboine women. | ||||
| The Métis developed as people distinct from either Indian or European. They developed a distinct language, a unique economy, a different lifestyle, and enduring philosophies. | ||||
In
1869 the political economy of the Métis was destroyed. The
Manitoba Act (1870) and the Dominion Lands Act (1879) recognized
Métis claims to Aboriginal title, but the federal government
moved to unilaterally extinguish these claims through individual
land and grants scrip. The Métis became Canada's "forgotten
people" because they were denied the recognition of their collective
rights. |
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| DEFINITION OF "MÉTIS": | ||||
| "Métis" means an Aboriginal person who self-identifies as Métis, who is distinct from Indian and Inuit, and: | ||||
The
estimated number of Métis in Canada varies widely from 300,000
to 800,000. Métis account for more than 20% of the Aboriginal
population. |
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| The Métis have never received the benefits governments grant to Status Indians and Inuit. In its final report the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples states "it is unjust and unreasonable to withhold from Métis people the services and opportunities available to other Aboriginal Peoples". |
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| The Métis were finally recognized as one of Canada's Aboriginal Peoples in the Canadian Constitution of 1982. | ||||
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| Red River Settlement |
- Article 10 of the Métis Nation Saskatchewan Constitution |
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| The historic Métis either evolved, or in some cases migrated from the Great Lakes region to the Red River Valley and established settlements along the banks of the Assiniboine, Red and Seine Rivers. This growing Métis population was supplemented with the emigration of voyageurs from present day Quebec, and intermarriage of Métis with the local Saulteaux and Cree First Nations. | ||||
| A Quote from Louis Riel | ||||
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When the Métis first arrived in the Red River Valley, Rupert's Land, during the late 1700's, the land was very different from today. Huge stands of natural grass covered the landscape, which is now covered by wheat and other commercial grains. The prairie was full of bison, and a whole Plans First Nations culture, from the edge of the Canadian Shield to Mexico, was dependent on this resource. By 1800, the Métis had adapted their voyageur lifestyle and became buffalo hunters, and came into direct competition with First Nations tribes. The original dominant nations were the Saulteaux, or Plains Ojibwa, the Cree, the Lakota and the Dakota. While the Métis had family ties with these Nations, there was often tension between them as they competed for land and scarce resources. | "I have devoted my life to my country. If it is necessary for the happiness of my country that I should now soon cease to live, I leave it to the Providence of my God." | ||
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Louis Riel |
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| The Red River Métis did not always hunt bison. Most Métis settled in farming communities. Early Métis communities in the Red River region included: St. Boniface, Ste. Agathe, Ste. Anne, St. Norbert, St. Vital, St. Francois-Xavier, and St. Eustache. All of these communities were named after saints, which suggests that the early Métis took Catholicism seriously. Families tended to be large and close known, and people more often than not married into their extended family. The historic Métis had a vibrant culture and they absorbed many others including French Canadians and First Nations. The kind of society, which existed in Red River in the early 1800s was roughly egalitarian and communitarian. When times were hard Métis buffalo hunters and farmers shared their bounty with the less fortunate. | ||||
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| Louis Riel | ||||
| Louis Riel was born on October 22, 1844, in St. Boniface, a parish in the Red River Settlement. He was the eldest of eleven children. His parents were Louis Riel Sr. and Julie Riel nee Lagimodiere. | ||||
| He was brought up with religious beliefs and leadership traits which were main factors in his life. Louis Riel was a well educated man. He attended the College of Montreal in 1858, and in 1865 he withdrew from college. He then found work with a Montreal Law Firm. In 1966, Louis Riel left Montreal. He traveled to the United States, working in various cities. He then returned to St. Boniface in the Red River area on July 28, 1868. | ||||
| Riel's background, education, fluency in both English and French, and legal training, all helped him in becoming a leader in the confrontation between the Red River Settlement and the Canadian government. He was elected Secretary of the National Committee of the Métis formed in October 1869. Later, at the age of twenty-five, Riel was elected President of the Provisional Government, which replaced the National Committee. He governed the colony until 1870. During that time, Riel made a decision that would affect the rest of his life. He permitted the execution of Thomas Scott. Scott was an Ontario Orangeman who was arrested twice for bearing arms against the Provisional government and attacking the guards. He was then charged with refusing to swear allegiance to the Provisional government. He was found guilty and executed by a firing squad. | ||||
| In 1883, Riel married Marguerite Monette dit Bellhumeur. They had two children, a boy and a girl. To support his family, he became a school teacher at St. Peter's Mission in Montana. | ||||
| In May of 1884, four delegates from Saskatchewan; Gabriel Dumont, James Isbister, Moise Ouellette, and Michael Dumas, located Riel and persuaded him to return to Canada to help negotiate their grievances with the Canadian government. | ||||
| After three weeks of traveling, Riel, Marguerite, their two children and the four delegates arrived in Fish Creek. The next day they moved on to Batoche and stayed there with his cousin, Charles Nolan, for four months. | ||||
| Several petitions were sent to Ottawa demanding the settlement of the grievances and guarantee of rights since 1873. On MArch 18, 1885, they received the news that the Métis petitions will be answered with bullets and that 500 soldiers were on their way to capture the agitators. Riel immediately formed a Provisional government and the decision was made to take up arms. | ||||
| Riel appointed Gabriel Dumont as General of the Resistance forces, while he placed a secondary role in the battles. The opening skirmish was at Duck Lake, which was a victory for the Métis forces. Then the battle of Fish Creek occurred, and that battle was viewed as a victory. The Métis weren't able to drive Middleton's forces back, but were able to halt his march on Batoche. The Battle of Batoche lasted from May 9 to May 12. The Métis forces were defeated. | ||||
| After the defeat, Riel surrendered on May 15, 1885. He was charged with high treason. After his arrest, Riel's trial was supposed to be in Winnipeg, but was moved to Regina. His trial began July 20, 1885. On August 1, 1885, the jury found Riel guilty which was automatically a death sentence. Riel was sentenced to hang on September 18, but it was postponed until November 16. | ||||
| While awaiting his execution, Riel received news that Marguerite gave birth prematurely to a child who died hours after. Marguerite died in the spring of 1886 from tuberculosis. His daughter Angelique also died in childhood. His son, Jean Louis, dies in 1908 due to injuries in a buggy accident. Riel has no direct descendants. | ||||
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Excerpts from the "Métis Community Directory",
produced and distributed by Western Region Métis Women's
Association. All rights reserved. |
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