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Unit V: Western Canada

Unit V: Western Canada. The Northwest Rebellion of 1885. Many Metis moved west after the end of the resistance at Red River. The buffalo hunt, from which their sustenance and identity were derived, ended and no land rights existed for them in the Northwest.

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Unit V: Western Canada

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  1. Unit V: Western Canada The Northwest Rebellion of 1885

  2. Many Metis moved west after the end of the resistance at Red River. • The buffalo hunt, from which their sustenance and identity were derived, ended and no land rights existed for them in the Northwest. • Metis and Aboriginal groups led by Chiefs Poundmaker and Big Bear tried to negotiate better terms with the government, but nothing came of these efforts. • In 1884, Gabriel Dumont and other Metis leaders convinced Louis Riel to return to Canada to help negotiate with the government.

  3. They sent a petition to Ottawa listing their grievances, but no answer came. • The Metis rose in rebellion forming another provisional government with Riel as their president, just as in 1869. • Aboriginal groups, and even white settlers, either joined their cause or were sympathetic to it; the Northwest appeared to be lost to the rebels. • The Metis defeated the Northwest Mounted Police (NWMP) detachment from Fort Carlton at Duck Lake. • In response, the government sent troops from Eastern Canada via the CPR to Regina, under the command of General Middleton.

  4. Gen. Middleton split his force in two, his force moving on Batoche. • At Fish Creek, about 15 mi. south of Batoche, they had their first skirmish with the Metis, which the Metis won. • Since the Metis were using guerilla tactics, however, Middleton’s defeat did not affect his fighting ability, and they moved on to the village of Batoche. • Upon arriving at Batoche, Middleton found the Metis entrenched in rifle pits. • As he decided the best course of action, he ordered a zareba built to protect his troops. • A zareba is circular structure made of carts, supplies, and earthworks designed to enclose an encampment, thus making it less vulnerable to attack.

  5. Middleton planned his attack, but his plan did not unfold as he thought it should, so he went back to his command tent in a sulk. • While eating his lunch, his troops getting impatient (most of them being of the age of 18 or 19), charged the Metis positions on their own and overwhelmed them. • The Metis were defeated, Riel was arrested, and Dumont (along with other Metis leaders) fled to Montana to evade capture.

  6. Despite the defense’s plea of insanity (which Riel furiously objected to), the leniency recommended by the all-white jury, and the indecision in the sentencing of Riel by the presiding judge, Sir John A. Macdonald decided to have Riel hanged. • As a result of this second uprising, the CPR was completed as its existence was justified by the rapid response of the Cdn. military to the rebellion. • Dumont returned to Batoche two or three years later after the rebellion b/c he and other Metis leaders were granted amnesty. • Dumont is buried at Batoche facing the South Saskatchewan river. Riel is buried in Winnipeg.

  7. Assignment • Read pp. 363-73 • Do #1-4 p. 369; #1-3 p. 373

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