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The Metis
During the summer of 1869, the Canadian
government sent John Stoughton Dennis to Red River to survey the land. He was so badly received by the Métis that he
started surveying at Oak Point rather than Fort Garry. To add to the Métis' anxiety, the survey was being
carried out in accordance with the Ontario style of survey, in squares, instead of the system
of long, narrow lots with river frontage used by the Métis. The new system
cut across properties already in existence. Moreover, surveying had begun
before the land had been officially transferred to Canada. When Dennis arrived in Fort Garry, opposition broke out. On October 11,
1869, proclaiming that the
Canadian government had no right to act without permission, sixteen Métis led
by Louis Riel stopped a crew of surveyors on the property of Louis, cousin
André Nault. This was a very important incident, first of all, because it was
the first act of resistance to the transfer of the Settlement to Canada and secondly, because it established Louis Riel as
the champion of the Métis.
In October, William McDougall, who had been
appointed Lieutenant Governor of Rupert's Land, set out for Red River to take possession of the North-West Territory for Canada, accompanied by a ready-made government and armed
with 300 rifles. When news of this reached the Métis, they decided to
organize their resistance. On October 16, Riel was elected secretary of the
Métis "National Committee" and John Bruce was elected president.
Five days later, the Committee sent a warning to McDougall advising him not
to enter the country without special permission from the Committee. To
strengthen their position, the Métis erected a barricade where the trail from
Pembina crossed the La Salle River, a place McDougall had to pass.
Riel's initiative raised opposition from
the conservative wing in the Settlement and those in administrative
positions. As a result of pressure exerted by them Riel was summoned to
appear before the Council of Assiniboia, chaired by Judge Black. The latter
was replacing the ailing out-going Governor Mactavish.
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Riel let it be known that he was opposed to
McDougall's arrival and invited the English group to join him. He stressed
that he remained faithful to the British Crown but that he objected to the
unlawful entry into the West of the Canadian government. He believed that the
West should have the right to negotiate the terms of its entry into
Confederation. On October 30, McDougall, Cameron and Joseph-Alfred Norbert
Provencher, the nephew of Bishop Provencher, arrived in Pembina where they
read the Committee's note. However, they refused to heed this warning and the
next day, Cameron and Provencher proceeded to St. Norbert where they were
stopped and conducted back to the American border escorted by 30 Métis. On
November 2, McDougall met with the same fate. Riel and the Métis thus
succeeded in cutting McDougall off from the group in Winnipeg which favoured Canadian annexation. That same day,
the Métis took possession of Fort Garry, thereby establishing their control over the
surrounding area. However, their power was quite precarious as they could
only rely on the support of the French Catholic population. Riel was aware
that he would need the backing of all elements in the Settlement to negotiate
with the Canadian government. A series of meetings was held to endeavour to
foster this support, but without the hoped-for success. Several people
objected to the way McDougall had been treated. However, agreement was
reached on the preparation of a list of rights.
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http://www.shsb.mb.ca/Riel/indexenglish.htm
The River Lot Farms of
the Red River
Land tenure in the Red River Settlement
was based on the seigneurial system of New France. Unlike the English (and American) system which
employed the square township survey, the French system was based on long narrow
river lots. Each lot was up to 3 km deep but had a river frontage of only 8 -
12 chains (150 - 250 m). Along the Red River, this
long narrow pattern suited the settlers' need for both access to the river and
to their neighbours. It gave each family a share of fertile black river soil
for crops such as wheat, oats, barley, and vegetables, as well as space further
back for some hay and pasture.
For half a century, from 1821 to 1829, the
river lot system served the Métis well. Even the English-controlled Hudson's
Bay Company (1)
accepted its very practical advantages. But when the Canadian government
purchased Rupert's Land ( including the Red River Settlement )
from the Company in 1869, an attempt was made to impose the English land
holding pattern on the settlement. Reinforcing Métis fears of being
swamped by English-speaking settlers from Ontario, this action was one major factor leading to the
Métis Resistance of 1869.
http://www.shsb.mb.ca/maison_riel/rielhouse.htm
During the
1850's, the Métis had succeeded in breaking the fur trade monopoly that the
company had held until then. The HBC had been forced to concede a political
role in governing the settlement and certain property rights to the Métis. The
years between 1850 and 1860 marked the end of the old way of life in the
northwest. Before 1849, changes in the settlement had occurred because of
internal events, but after 1850 they would be the result of external factors,
centred around Canadian and American politics.
With its east-west axis of development,
Canada was inevitably bound to come into contact with Métis
society. The first clash occurred in 1857 when the Dawson-Hind exploration
expedition arrived to study the land. The expedition recommended that the
Canadian Government acquire the arable part of the company's land. At the same
time, an annexationist movement in the United States threatened future occupation of the
territories. Canada could not count on any military
action to thwart this movement and the company did not have any force at its disposal
to ward off this threat. The only remaining alternative was annexation of the Northwest Territories by Canada. In 1869, a unique opportunity
presented itself, for the Hudson's Bay Company agreed to sell this
territory to Canada. It was at this point that Louis
Riel returned to the settlement he had not seen for ten years.
Many
changes had taken place in the settlement since Louis Riel's departure. With
the arrival of numerous settlers from Ontario, Fort Garry had become an active commercial
centre. For economic and political reasons, these Canadians were in favour of
the annexation of Red River to Canada. However, the Métis felt resentful
as they saw the area's future being decided without them, in spite of their
large numbers. Meanwhile the Canadians were opposed to the company's authority,
and the Métis were worried about the future under the Canadian Government. They
were afraid the country would be invaded by people from Ontario and that this would create a
problem for the Métis, because the newcomers would be English-speaking
Protestants, not French-speaking Catholics. In addition to the problems of
language and religion, they were justifiably afraid of losing their lands, for
most of the Métis were squatters or settlers without title.
http://www.metisnation.org/culture/Riel/riel_2.html