The Red River Resistance Louis Riel and the

The Red River Resistance Louis Riel and the Metis Struggle to Keep Their Culture

• By the 1860’s, most of the good farm land in the Eastern parts of Canada were taken by European settlers. • More and more, new settlers were looking west for land to own and farm.

The Red River Valley ( now Manitoba) was the homeland of the Metis

• The Metis had built a number of communities in the region. • The Metis had also built a unique culture blending the European and First Nations language, food, clothing, music, etc…

• Each Metis community also had a form of government headed by the Captain of the Buffalo Hunt. • The Captain was selected by the community in a democratic fashion. • Laws were made and Metis were expected to follow them

The Selkirk Settlement • Thomas Douglas, Earl of Selkirk, became interested in the possibilities of settling Scottish farmers who had lost their farms at home in the fertile valley of the Red River near present-day Winnipeg.

• The Hudson's Bay Company sold Lord Selkirk 100, 000 acres of land near Winnipeg today as an experiment to see if these white farmers could grow food for the fur trade forts…. . • One HUGE problem…. NOBODY BOTHERED TO CONSULT WITH THE METIS!!!!

• There were many skirmishes between the Metis and the European settlers. • One leader of the Selkirk Settlement even confiscated the Metis-made pemmican one winter so his white farmers would have enough food over winter and they wouldn’t starve.

• Due to Metis resistance to the new white farmers, the Selkirk Settlement never really did work out well and the Scottish farmers left the Red River region to the Metis and their way of life.

The HBC Sells Rupert’s Land To Canada • In 1869, everything changes for the Metis when the HBC sold Rupert’s Land to the government of Canada. • The HBC was losing money after the fur trade collapsed. • The Canadian government gave them $$$ and allowed the HBC to hold large pieces of the best land.

• Again…one HUGE problem…NOBODY BOTHERED TO CONSULT WITH THE METIS!!!!!

• Problems began soon after the deal. • The Canadian government sent land surveyors to mark and measure the land that the Metis had lived on for many, many years. • The Canadian government was looking like it wasn’t recognizing that the Metis had rights to the land they lived on.

The Seigneurial System • The Metis preferred the old French custom of owning land. • The land was divided into thin, narrow strips facing a river. • It allowed more fairness in that more people got riverfront.

The Township Land System • The English settlers preferred the “township” style of land ownership. • The plots of land were surveyed in large squares. • Only the rich could get the valuable riverfront.

Louis Riel • Around the time of the land sale, a young Metis man returned home from studying in Montreal. • This man was Louis Riel.

• Riel was sent to Montreal to learn how to become a Catholic priest. • He studied at the finest universities and learned how to speak English, as well as French and a First Nations language. • Riel fell in love with a white woman whose father broke off the relationship because Riel was a “half-breed”

• One day, Canadian Government surveyors arrived at Louis’ uncle’s farm. • They began to lay out the metal chains that were used to measure land in the old days. • Riel’s uncle sent somebody to find Louis and tell him what was happening.

• Riel arrived and saw how upset his uncle was…he thought he was losing his farm and all he had worked hard for would be taken away. • Louis reacted by stepping on the chain and telling the surveyors: “ You will go no further!”

• After this incident, Louis began to see himself as a defender of the Metis way of life…. A promoter of Metis culture and an advocate for his people. • The Canadian government was not amused!

"We may be a small community and a Half-breed community at that - but we are men, free and spirited men and we will not allow even the Dominion of Canada to trample on our rights. " Louis Riel.

Sir John A. Mac. Donald • The First Canadian Prime Minister was not amused that these “half-breeds” were standing in the way of Canada’s western expansion. • John A. Mac. Donald always thought Canada would stretch from “sea to sea”.

New Governor Sent to Red River • Mac. Donald reacted by sending a new governor to the Red River. • This governor would replace the Metis government and show that Canada was now in charge…NOT THE METIS!

• The Metis refused to recognize this new Canadian governor …they wanted to negotiate peacefully with the Canadian government on how this region would join Canada. • They also wanted to make sure Metis culture and land rights were protected.

• Metis told the governor he was not welcome. • They told him to turn around and go back to Ottawa. • A group of armed Metis met the governor at the US border just before they were to cross into “Metis country”. • In the face of this order, the governor had no option but to return.

"We may be a small community and a Half-breed community at that - but we are men, free and spirited men and we will not allow even the Dominion of Canada to trample on our rights. " Louis Riel

The Orange Order • This group began in England after a split in the Catholic church. ( Protestants) • Many English settlers brought their Protestant religious beliefs and secret societies with them. • The Orange Order believed in the following:

• Anti-Catholic • Anti-French • Anti-Metis • Felt that Metis were inferior to “pure whites” • Felt that the Metis were only good as help for the whites…and pay them low wages.

• Many Protestant, Anglican, Orange Order settlers began moving into the Red River area and buying up Metis farmland. • Many altercations occurred…harassment between Orange Order and Metis began to happen more and more often.

“The Freedoms of Englishmen and the Protestant Religion I will Maintain” This was the vow the Prince of Orange made to the British people, as he touched England’s shore in November 1688 at Brixham Harbour.

Dr. John Schultz • Dr. Schultz, was a member of the Canada First movement. • a group whose members strongly supported the acquisition of the North West by Canada. • Schultz would probably be labelled a “white supremist” today. He hated First Nations and Metis.

• Schultz began a newspaper in the Red River called the “Nor’wester”. • He used his paper to publish hateful and racist articles againt the Metis and First Nations of the area: "The indolent and the careless, like the native tribes of the country, will fall back before the march of superior intelligence "

• The Metis sent a delegation to Ottawa to talk and negotiate a deal with the government. • They wanted to join Canada…but wanted certain Metis rights protected. • The government basically IGNORED the Metis and refused to recognize they had ANY rights to the land.

Metis Take Over Fort Garry • Riel knew he had to get the government’s attention…… • The Metis marched on an HBC fur fort called Fort Garry. ( today…Winnipeg) • No shots were fired…the HBC workers evacuated the fort and the Metis flag was put up the flagpole.

• Once the fort was secure in Metis hands, Riel then created a Provisional Metis Government ( “provisional” means temporary). • The goal of the government was to keep the area secure until a deal could be made with Canada.

• One of Riel’s most trusted followers was a skilled buffalo hunter named Gabriel Dumont. • Dumont was Riel’s major military advisor and helped plan the Metis resistance against the Canadian government.

Canadian Government Responds • Prime Minister John A. Mac. Donald reacted to Fort Garry being taken over by calling out for an armed militia to do battle with the Metis. • He called it an act of “high treason”

• Mac. Donald also carried the racist mindset of his time, and he did feel that the Metis were an inferior race of people. • This quote came from a speech given by him to Parliament during this time:

"These impulsive half-breeds have got spoiled by this emeute (uprising) and must be kept down by a strong hand until they are swamped by the influx of settlers. " Sir John A. Mac. Donald Feb. 23, 1870

The Thomas Scott Incident • Once the Metis captured Fort Garry, they began to arrest any person they suspected as being and enemy to the Metis cause. • Dr. Shultz was arrested, as were many Orange Order followers. • One Orange Order person arrested was Thomas Scott.

• Thomas Scott could also be labelled a white supremist today. • He hated the Metis, thought they were inferior. • He also hated Louis Riel for being the leader of what he called a “rebellion”.

• While in Metis custody, he began to mock the Metis jail guards. He spat in their faces and called them racist names. • Scott also threatened that when he was free he would kill Louis Riel. • The Metis government decided to put Thomas Scott on trial for threatening Louis Riel’s life.

• At the end of the trial ( ruled by a Metis judge and jury), Thomas Scott was found guilty of threatening Louis Riel. • The sentence was death by firing squad. • On March 4, 1870, Thomas Scott was blindfolded and executed by a Metis firing squad.

Canada’s Reaction To Scott’s Death • Dr. Schultz somehow escaped from his jail cell and went east to Ontario where he fanned the fires against the Metis. • Schultz called the death of Thomas Scott a “coldblooded murder”. • English Canada was enraged that a group of “Halfbreeds” dared kill an English, Orange Order member. • English Canada wanted revenge for Scott’s death.

The Manitoba Act • John A. Mac. Donald was in a bind. He could not get troops to the Red River quickly. ( There was no railroad connection yet. ) • The Metis were only asking for the same guarantees all other provinces got when they joined Canada. ( see Metis List of Rights).

• The Manitoba Act did the following: - created the new province of Manitoba - guaranteed percentage of land for Metis - guaranteed French as well as English could be spoken in schools - guaranteed French-speaking judges - guaranteed free elections

• The Canadian government purposefully made Manitoba very tiny compared to how big it is today. • It was nicknamed “the postage stamp province” • The white government was reluctant to give the Metis any more than the bare minimum of land. They wanted it saved for white settlers.

Riel: The Founder of Manitoba • Riel usually gets no credit in Canadian textbooks as the founder of the province of Manitoba. • The Manitoba Act was mostly issues brought up by Riel to defend the Metis way of life and culture.

Scrip • Each Metis head-of-household was given a piece of legal paper called “scrip”. • Each piece of scrip allowed the holder to get: a) 160 acres of farmland, or, b) $160 cash

The Aftermath • The Canadian soldiers arrived in the Red River Valley after a long march. • By then, the Manitoba Act was signed and the Metis resistance evaporated away. • The fighting was over! Fort Garry was given back to the HBC.

• John A. Mac. Donald was being pressured by English-Canadians to arrest Louis Riel for the murder of Thomas Scott. • Riel was elected as one of Manitoba’s new Member of Parliament. • On the first day of Parliament, Riel signed his name in the register, but never took his seat…he ran away, knowing he would be arrested for the murder of Thomas Scott.

Riel’s Mental Breakdown • After all the stress of the last year, Riel began to suffer from delusions and anxiety. • He was sent to a mental hospital in Quebec for a few months and then released.

Riel in Exile • Riel made a deal with Macdonald…. the government promised to not prosecute Riel if he left Canada for 5 years. • Riel agreed…and he went to the USA where he would live as a teacher in Montana for the next 15 years.

"Pray that God may preserve the little Metis nation, and cause it to grow. . . and remain faithful to its mission. During five years that I must pass in exile, I have only this to say to the Metis, remain Metis, become more Metis than ever. " Louis Riel 1875

Government Soldiers Harass Metis • Even though the resistance was over, Canadian troops remained in the Red River area “to keep peace”. • Metis reported many incidents which proved the government troops harassed, and discriminated against Metis

Manitoba Changes • More and more white settlers flood into the area now called Manitoba. • The Metis way of life is threatened. • The buffalo are scared away when houses and roads are built. • What will the Metis do next?

A Metis way of life gone forever

Louis Riel will return! The story is not over!