2011 Metis Presentation Slide Notes

1. Slide 1- Opening slide

2. Slide 2 – During the 1700’s Canada was dominated by the fur trade industry and the
Hudson’s bay company. Fur traders arrived to harvest the bounty of Canada, many
of them marrying “country wives” from the local aboriginal population. This began
the creation of a new Nation. The half-breed nation (Métis) served Hudson’s bay
company as intermediaries in trade due to their duality of experience in the land
base they were born, and interpretive skills bridging the gap in trade.
3. Slide 3 – Red River Colony, settlement on the Red and Assiniboine rivers in what
is now Manitoba and North Dakota, founded 1812 by the earl of Selkirk. From
1801 Selkirk had sought British support for settlement in the region occupied by the
Hudson’s Bay Company but not until he and his family had gained control of the
company in 1810 did his scheme become practical. In 1811 the company granted
Selkirk some 300 000 km2 of the land it had claimed in the Winnipeg Basin, which
he called ASSINIBOIA.
4. Slide 4 - In the wake of confederation (and without consultation with the colony's
inhabitants or guarantees of their rights) arrangements were made to transfer the
colony and Rupert’ Land to Canada, the stage was set for the Red River Rebellion.
5. Slide 5- The Battle of Seven Oaks (known to the Métis as la Victoire de la
Grenouillière, or the Victory of Frog Plain) took place on June 19, 1816 during the
long dispute between the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company,
rival fur-trading companies in western Canada. Miles Macdonell had issued a
proclamation prohibiting the export of food called the Pemmican Proclamation,
because the Earl of Selkirk wished to set up a colony of settlers on Red River and
all provisions were to be kept for the settlers. Macdonell was the governor of the
Red River Colony (the area around present-day Winnipeg, Manitoba), which had
been established by the majority shareholder of the Hudson's Bay Company,
Thomas Douglas. The local Métis, however, did not acknowledge the authority of
the Red River Settlement, and this stand was probably consistent with the Royal
Proclamation of 1763. The pemmican proclamation was a blow to both the Métis
and North West Company. The North West Company accused the HBC of unfairly
monopolizing the fur trade with this edict. As the North West Company foundered
under these and other restrictions, the HBC attempted to take over the NWC, but
with no success. In 1815 after several nervous breakdowns and conflicts, Macdonell
resigned as governor of the Red River Colony. He was replaced by Robert Semple,
an American businessman with no previous experience in the fur trade.
 In 1816 a band of Métis, led by Cuthbert Grant, seized a supply of Hudson's Bay
Company pemmican (that was stolen from the Métis) and were travelling to a
meeting with traders of the North West Company to whom they intended to sell it.
They were met south of Fort Douglas along the Red River at a location called Seven
Oaks by Semple and a group of HBC men and settlers. Semple argued with several
of the Métis and a gunfight ensued. Although early reports state that it was the
Métis who fired the first shot, it may have been one of Semple's men who fired first.
Semple and his men did not have a chance against the Métis, who were skilled
sharpshooters and outnumbered Semple's forces by nearly 3 to 1. The Métis
repulsed the attack, killing 21 men, including Governor Semple, while the Métis
themselves suffered only one fatality. They were later exonerated by a Royal
Commissioner appointed to investigate the incident. Grant later became an
important figure in the Hudson's Bay Company after its merger with the North West
Company.

6. Slide 6- Sir John Alexander Macdonald, lawyer, businessman, politician, first prime
minister of Canada . He was the dominant creative mind which produced
the BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT and the union of provinces which became
Canada. As the first prime minister of Canada, he oversaw the expansion of the
Dominion from sea to sea. During his first administration 1867-73, he became a
"nation builder." To the original 4 provinces were added Manitoba, the North-West
Territories (present-day Saskatchewan and Alberta), BC and PEI.
7. Slide 7-Manitoba entered the union following an insurrection led by
Louis RIEL against the takeover of the area by the Dominion government, The Red
River Settlement land-surveying episode set in motion the irrevocable rise in
tensions between the Métis and the federal authorities. When surveyors from
Canada ignored the lot lines of the Métis farms, Riel took action. A band of Métis
occupied Upper Fort Garry and Riel formed a provisional government to negotiate
the colony's entry into Canada. Riel assumed the leadership of the movement Riel
established a provisional government on December 8, 1869. The provisional
government's goal was to manage the settlers' lives and protect their material goods
and establish a “List of Rights”
8. Slide 8- With rising tensions Thomas Scott-was an Irish-born Canadian executed by
firing squad on March 4, 1870, for plotting against the Provisional Government of
the Red River Settlement and its Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia. His death led
to the Wolseley Expedition to quell the Red River Rebellion. Scott's execution
quickly led to the downfall of Riels' government. Ontarians were angered by Scott's
execution and the Canadian government sent a force of 1200 British troops and
volunteers led by Col Garnet Wolseley. A bounty of $5,000 was put on Riel's and
Lepine's lives. The Métis looked for amnesty while the Ontario extremists looked
for vengeance. Ambroise Lepine was tried and convicted for Scott's murder and
was sentenced to hanging on January 24, 1875. His sentence was commuted to 2
years. They banished Riel for five years, but Riel kept slipping in and out of French
communities in southern Manitoba. Eventually he was hung in Regina in 1885 for
staging a second rebellion in the territory that would later become Saskatchewan.
9. Slide 9-Not a very well known proclamation in our history was the Proclamation of
1869. The decision to cede the territory to the British crown and to subsequently
transfer it to Canada had been made by the Hudson’s Bay company, the British
Parliament, and the Parliament of Canada. However, the residing population had
not been consulted. This omission resulted in the dissatisfaction of a segment of the
population, more particularly the Métis community, which was concerned that the
transfer would affect it rights, and ultimately led to the Red River rebellion.
Although the transfer was set for December 1st, 1869, the disturbances forced the
parties to suspend the transfer procedure and push back the cession date. In fact, the
Canadian government did not want to accept the transfer because of the unstable
situation that existed at the Red River settlement. Meanwhile, the Métis and Sang-
Mêlés held two conventions to establish their demands, and redacted a List of
Rights (in fact, four lists had been developed in different stages). Representatives of
both communities were present at these conventions, as was the representative of
the Canadian government, Donald Smith. During the second convention, Mr. Smith
rendered public the Proclamation of the 6th of December 1869, enacted in Her
Majesty’s name by the representative of the British Empire for the region, Governor
General Young. The Proclamation was issued in response to the population’s
demands and sought to re-establish order in the territory. It guaranteed that the
inhabitants’ rights would be respected after the territory’s admission into Canada.
The transfer finally took place by Order of Her Majesty in Council, adopted on June
23, 1870, and came into force on July 5, 1870.
10. Slide 10-Troops arrived in August 1870 under the command of Colonel Garnet
Joseph Wolseley, numerous Métis suffered reprisals. Wolseley issued a
proclamation to settle the hostilities and citing equal protection. Ontarians
especially looked on the purpose of the Wolseley Expedition as the suppression of
rebellion, although the government described it as an "errand of peace". Learning
Canadian militia elements in the expedition meant to lynch him, Riel fled as the
expedition approached the Red River on August 24. The arrival of the expedition
marked the effective end of the Red River Rebellion.
11. Slide 11 - North-West Rebellion, 1885, culmination of the discontent of
the MÉTIS, Indians and white settlers which had not abated since the RED RIVER
REBELLION of 1869-70. The Plains Indians-
CREE, BLACKFOOT, BLOOD, PEIGAN, Saulteaux - had been reduced to near
starvation by the virtual disappearance of the buffalo. In 1880 Cree chief BIG
BEAR worked for an Indian confederacy and found an ally in CROWFOOT,
leading chief of the Blackfoot. A series of confrontations between destitute Indians
and Indian Department employees over rations threatened to break into open
violence. The Métis had found transition from hunting to farming difficult and by
1884 had grown desperate that their rights would ever be recognized.
12. Slide 12 - The Indian Act was implemented under John A. MacDonald which
essentially made Indians wards of the state. There have been over twenty major
changes made to the original Act. Throughout the hundred years after the 1876
Indian Act legal authority over the management and control of Indian lands and
property has remained vested with the superintendent general of Indian Affairs. The
"assimilation and civilizing process" was in fact increased with the explicit purpose
 of destroying Indian culture. This was particularly evident after the 1885 Riel
Rebellion. Amendments were made to the Indian Act which barred the incitement
of riots among Indians and half-breeds as well of the sale of ammunition or ball
cartridges to them. During the development it was unclear on how to deal with the
half-breed population, and which we will discuss later the policies of Alexander
Morris.
13. Slide 13 – Excerpt from the Indian Act in reference to Métis 1876. During the
development of policies under Sir John A. Macdonald the Métis were originally
entered into the Indian Act in which sought determination of rules on who Métis
were to be admitted or excluded into the treaty process.
14. Slide 14- Excerpt from the Indian Act in reference to Métis 1879. In which further
outlines the policy of treaty or scrip.
15. Slide 15- Excerpt from Indian Act in reference to Métis 1888. During this time the
first Scrip commissions began in 1885 which continued with a succession of 10
commissions until 1910.
16. Slide 16 – An example of the discriminatory policies of Indian reservation systems.
A note was issued to the resident of the reservation as a pass to be absent from the
reserve. Due to the oppressive treatment of the reserve many Métis accepted scrip.
17. Slide 17 – Alexander Morris was the main Treaty Commissioner for the Treaties
signed in Saskatchewan. He was commissioner for Treaties 3, 4, 5 and 6 and helped
negotiate Treaties 1 and 2. Written in his service notes we note a few quotes, in the
difficulty of classifying Treaty recipients and Half-breeds living within the same
location. The choice was given to characterize themselves, where many half-breeds
took treaty rather than wait for scrip. Morris’ work as Treaty Commissioner was
viewed as successful; however his inability to preserve lands for the Métis, due to
speculation of Métis Scrip was a considerable weakness. Morris was also interested
in Métis lands and when he ran for parliament in 1878 he was criticized for
accumulating land in Manitoba at the expense of the Métis, and lost the election by
10 votes.
18. Slide 18 – Further quotes, in this determination of self declaration.
19. Slide 19- Many Métis names today are listed within the historic Indian reserves
whose ancestors lost status through disenfranchisement, or intermarriage with non-
aboriginal settlers. Many ancestors lost status once they were forced from their
homelands never to return to their place of origin. The scrip and treaty systems have
served a purpose of exclusion and separation.
20. Slide 20- Name List
21. Slide 21 - Name List
22. Slide 22- Scrip commissions continued for many years, as stated before a series of
commissions (quoting dates)
23. Slide 23- Scrip commissions were strife with fraud. Looking back into history scrip
has fueled the westward expansion with opening up land to speculators. The scrip
notes ended up in In 1978 Emile Pelletier’s Investigations found allotments of 240
acres made under section 31. Pelletier then categorized the sale of each grant as
legal, illegal, ambiguous or speculative. In doing so, he found that 529 land grants
covering 126,960 acres were sold illegally while 580 sales involving 139,200 acres
were ambiguous cases. 590 land grants covering 141,600 acres consigned to Half-
 breed children were obtained by land speculators for resale who earned profits for
themselves of 100 percent to 2000 percent. It is also reported that Alexander Morris
the treaty commissioner also held scrip land intended for Metis scrip allotment.
24. Slide 24- Scrip Speculators -The land scrip was supposedly meant to prevent land
speculation, but this took place anyway, as the government did little to prevent land
speculators from purchasing scrip from the mixed-bloods. Speculators from
Edmonton were already in waiting at Lesser Slave Lake when the Métis received
scrip; many of these speculators paid a fraction of what the scrip was actually
worth, taking advantage of the fact that most mixed-bloods were illiterate and did
not fully understand the significance of scrip. Some of the more prominent scrip
speculators included the Imperial Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal and Bank of
Nova Scotia, as well as private banks and individuals.
25. Slide 25- Scrip – Western subsidy (read slide)
26. Slide 26 – Métis Migration and Distribution. Métis dispersed widely due to the loss
of land, and rising tensions in Manitoba, and loss of a main food source the buffalo.
27. Slide 27-Metis who settled in Montana were subject to new policies and rising
tensions across the newly formed US/Canada border. Métis who came across the
border found themselves caught in a US/Canada deportation order. The US
government deployed the Montana Buffalo soldiers to assist in the deportation.
Many stood their ground and died, and many en-route back into Canada, arriving in
Lethbridge.
28. Slide 28 - Map of Metis population in Montana
29. Slide 29 - Excerpt in the Montanian newspapers records the public sentiment which
made the government act upon the Métis population in Montana.
30. Slide 30 – Ear Mountain. A distinguishable feature where Métis hid after the
US/Canada deportation order was issued.
31. Slide 31-38 Metis Culture – No notes (read slides)

Metis History and Culture Presentation developed by Earlene Bitterman Whitford

Genealogy 2011 -Nor’western Heritage Consulting [email protected]