Louis Riel

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Louis Riel

Louis "David" Riel [ luːi ʀiːˈɛl ] (born October 22, 1844 in the Red River Colony , † November 16, 1885 in Regina ) was a Canadian rebel and politician . He was a co-founder of the Manitoba Province and a Métis leader . Riel led two revolts against the federal government under Prime Minister John Macdonald on the Canadian prairies . He strove to preserve the rights and culture of his people, the Métis, whose homeland, which had previously been administered by the Hudson's Bay Company , was bought by the Canadian state in 1869 and increasingly came under Anglo-Canadian settlement pressure.

During the Red River Rebellion of 1869/70, Riel led a provisional government in the Red River Colony. This negotiated the terms of the Manitoba Act , under which today's Province of Manitoba was founded within the Canadian Confederation on the territory of the then Northwest Territories . As a result of the execution of the militant Orange man Thomas Scott , which he ordered during the uprising , Riel had to go into exile in the United States . He was elected in absentia to the House of Commons three times, but was never able to exercise his mandate as a bounty was on him. During his exile he had religious visions. He was convinced that he was a Métis prophet chosen by God and the founder of a new Christianity.

Riel went to what is now the province of Saskatchewan in 1884 to show the Canadian government the grievances under which the Métis suffered. The simmering conflict escalated in the Northwest Rebellion in 1885 . After the Battle of Batoche, Riel was arrested, tried for high treason , and eventually executed. In his person, the Canadian population split into two camps. In the francophone regions of the country, especially in Québec , Riel was considered a folk hero and his execution was mostly perceived as political murder. The English-speaking majority, however, viewed him as a rebel and criminal. These assessments have given way to a more differentiated attitude in which the religious worldview and the family structure of Riel as well as the cross-border culture of the Métis are given greater consideration. Today he is regarded as one of the most important historical figures in Canada and as "Manitoba's father".

Adolescent years

Riel at the age of 14

The Red River Colony was in Rupert's Land , a vast area nominally administered by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). It was mainly inhabited by First Nations ( Indians ) and Métis peoples. The latter are an ethnic group created by mixing French Canadians , English , Scots , Cree , Anishinabe and Saulteaux . Louis Riel was born in 1844 near today's provincial capital Winnipeg , the son of Louis Riel senior (1817–1864) and Julie Lagimonière. His maternal grandmother, Marie-Anne Gaboury , had been known to have been the first woman of European descent to settle in western Canada four decades earlier . His paternal grandmother, Marguerite Boucher, was a Métis of French and Chipewyan parents who had married Jean-Baptiste Riel. Louis Riel junior mastered Cree ; it is not clear whether he learned his grandmother's language.

Louis Riel was the oldest of eleven children of a well-respected French-Canadian Métis family. His influential father rose to prominence among his own kind when he organized a group in support of Pierre-Guillaume Sayer in 1849. The Métis Sayer had disregarded the HBC's monopoly of fur trading, whereupon he was arrested and charged. Sayer declared that, according to Indian custom, he only exchanged gifts. The HBC court found him guilty, but pardoned him because of the agitation by Riel and the advocates of the free fur trade. Sayer's release resulted in the end of the monopoly. After that event, the Riel family was well known in the Red River Colony. Riel also successfully campaigned for the appropriate representation of the Métis in the Assiniboia Council , and he advocated the use of French alongside English in the courts of Assiniboia. Economically, however, he failed in the construction of mills for milling and combing as well as for grinding grain , which he operated from 1847 and 1854 respectively. In 1852 the family home was destroyed by a spring flood.

Like most Métis, Riel's parents were devout Catholics . His father was baptized in 1822 and even briefly became a novice to the Oblates in Mont-Saint-Hilaire in Québec in 1842 . His mother also had plans to follow her religious calling prior to their marriage, but her parents pushed her to marry Louis Sr. For this reason, Roman Catholic priests in Saint-Boniface taught the eldest son, his parents greatly influenced his mystical imagination. Louis junior is described in family lore as a very generous child with a strong affection for his parents. His eldest sister Sara became one of the “Gray Nuns”, as the Sœurs de la Charité de Montréal (Sisters of Mercy of Montreal) were called. She was the first Métis that the order accepted and, after she had already received the last unction , was brought back to life in 1872, which was interpreted as a miracle . In memory of her grandmother, she changed her name to Sister Marguerite Marie .

When Louis Riel was 13 years old, Alexandre-Antonin Taché , the suffragan bishop of Saint-Boniface, became aware of him. Taché endeavored to train talented young Métis to priests, as no member of the local clergy came from the region itself. In 1858, he enabled Riel to attend the Petit Séminaire at the Collège de Montréal , a secondary school in the city of Montreal run by the Sulpizian order . The curriculum focused on subjects such as ancient languages, philosophy, literature, and theology, but contained little science; it essentially corresponded to French curricula of the late 17th century. Riel is described as a good student, but he was repeatedly noticed as unpredictably moody.

After learning of the early death of his father, who died on January 21, 1864 and whom he had not seen since June 1, 1858, Riel increasingly lost interest in the training of priests and devoted himself increasingly to writing poems and fables . He quit school on March 8, 1865, a few months before he would graduate. Although Riel continued his studies in the monastery of the Sœurs de la Charité de Montréal, he was soon ordered to leave for disciplinary offenses. For example, he had been absent from class for two weeks without excuse because he was looking for a job. He stayed in Montreal and stayed with his aunt Lucie Riel for a year. The father had left debts; to support the family, Riel worked in Montreal as an assistant to lawyer Rodolphe Laflamme . He had a love affair with Marie-Julie Guernon and became engaged to her on June 12, 1866. But Guernon's parents were against marrying a Métis and the relationship was broken up a week later.

Riel was bored with legal work. On the day the engagement broke up, he resigned from Laflamme and left Montreal for good. As some of his friends later reported, he is said to have done various odd jobs in Chicago . There he is said to have lived with the writer Louis-Honoré Fréchette and wrote poems that were influenced by Lamartine . After a short stay in Saint Paul ( Minnesota ) he returned on July 26, 1868 in the Red River Colony back.

Red River Rebellion

Métis and First Nations originally formed the majority of the population in the Red River Colony. When Riel returned, he found that the influx of Anglophone Protestant settlers from Ontario heightened religious, nationalist, and ethnic tensions. The political situation was also uncertain, as the legal conditions of the transfer had not been addressed during the ongoing negotiations on the handover of Rupert's land from HBC to the Canadian state. This, in turn, was caused by Prime Minister John Macdonald's fear of annexation plans of the United States . Their spokesmen here were the Minnesota annexationists , and the submission of the annexation bill of July 2, 1866 (which was never voted on) , which called for the occupation of British North America, had reinforced these fears. The attacks by the Catholic Irish ( Fenian Brotherhood ) on British border posts in the years 1866 to 1871, the aim of which was the independence of Ireland , caused even more sensation .

Catholic Bishop Taché, Anglican Bishop of Rupert's Land Robert Machray, and HBC representative William Mactavish warned the federal government against creating a fait accompli in this heated political atmosphere. Still, William McDougall , the Secretary of State for State Works, ordered the area to be surveyed. The arrival on August 20, 1869 of a group of surveyors led by Colonel John Stoughton Dennis caused unrest among the Métis. They did not have a secure legal claim to the land they cultivated. The parcels in the Red River Colony were parceled out in strips according to the manorial system of French style (see Economic History of Canada ). The Canadian government was now planning a square parcelling common in the British colonies, which did not take into account the previous usage conditions. Anti-Catholic organizations like the Orange Order and Canada First influenced the decision. They saw in this a possibility to expand the settlement area of ​​the Protestants.

Leader of the Métis

When in the Ontario press criticized the Métis for surveying and building a road to Fort Garry , Louis Riel responded with an article in the Montreal newspaper Le Nouveau Monde in February 1869 criticizing Charles Mair's views. In March, Riel considered returning to Minnesota, but the Métis held meetings in July at which he appeared as one of their leaders.

In a speech in front of the Saint-Boniface Cathedral in late August 1869, Riel denounced the land surveying. On October 11, a group of Métis interrupted the surveyors' work. This group organized itself five days later as the "National Committee of the Métis", with Riel as secretary and John Bruce as president. At the same time she supported Bishop Taché and the local pastor Joseph-Noël Ritchot. The Assiniboia Council, controlled by the HBC, invited Riel to come and comment on the incidents. Riel said any attempt by Canada to exercise power would meet with resistance unless the government negotiated with the Métis of its own accord. Nonetheless, William McDougall, who spoke no French, was named lieutenant governor- designate and attempted to enter the Red River Colony area on November 2. McDougall's group was turned back near the American border, and on the same day the Métis led by Riel occupied Fort Garry.

On November 6th, Riel invited the English-speaking residents to appoint twelve delegates to a meeting of representatives of the Métis to discuss how to proceed. On December 1, he proposed to this congregation a list of rights that must be required as a condition for joining Canada. At the same time, he emphasized that the Métis were loyal subjects of the royal family. Anglophone spokesman James Ross criticized Lieutenant Governor McDougall for not having been invited. Most of the population agreed with the demands of the Métis, but a militant minority began to organize in an opposition movement: The goals of this Canadian party were the annexation of the Red River Colony by the Canadian government, the expulsion of the local population and the settlement of Protestant, Anglophone settlers from Ontario.

Provisional government

The Provisional Government of the Red River Colony

On November 16, Governor Mactavish called on the Métis to lay down their arms. Riel responded by proposing on November 23 that the Assiniboia Council be replaced by a government of its own and that union negotiations with Canada be entered into immediately. But the English-speaking groups did not support his movement, nor did they endorse the List of Rights that he presented on December 1st . This list contained 14 demands, probably written by Riel, such as the one for a representation in the Canadian parliament, guarantee of bilingualism, a bilingual chief judge as well as preparations for the settlement and the contracts with the Indians ( numbered treaties ). It was printed and distributed across the country to attract followers.

McDougall ordered Dennis to arrest the Métis who occupied Fort Garry. But the Anglophones refused to obey his request. So he had to stay in Lower Fort Garry . John Christian Schultz , a key player in the Canadian Party, got around fifty men on his side and asked Dennis to jointly arrest Riel. In addition to Schultz, Charles Mair , Colonel John Stoughton Dennis and Major Charles Arkoll Boulton were the main actors of the Canadian Party. Schultz, who had become friends with the surveyors and had unscrupulously transferred extensive land rights, was able to gather around fifty people. He holed up with them in his home pretending to be protecting government food supplies. On December 7th, Riel ordered that Schultz's house be surrounded; the outnumbered "Canadians" surrendered quickly and were held captive at Fort Garry.

On December 6, when the Canadian government learned of the riot, it offered amnesty and sent three negotiators to the Red River, including HBC representative Donald Smith . While they were still on the move, the Métis National Committee appointed a provisional government on December 8th. Initially, John Bruce was its president until Riel took over this office on December 27th. Meetings between Riel and the delegation from Ottawa took place on January 5-6, 1870. But when these remained inconclusive, Smith decided to make his point of view known to the general public. He was able to convince a large crowd of the good intentions of the government at meetings on January 19-20 in Fort Garry. He was also able to persuade Riel to propose the formation of a new 40-member congregation, half of which was composed of English- and French-speaking settlers, and which should deal with Smith's orders in detail. On February 7, the meeting presented the government delegation with a new list of rights, as Riel had promised. Smith and Riel agreed to send representatives to Ottawa to begin direct negotiations on that basis. However, the demand for the immediate establishment of a province was rejected because it was believed to be too early. The Provisional Government published its own newspaper called "New Nation" and set up a legislative assembly.

Execution of Thomas Scott

Execution of Thomas Scott

Despite the apparent progress made on a political level, the Canadian Party continued to attempt to overthrow the Provisional Government. Schultz and some of his followers, including Boulton and the fanatical Orange Thomas Scott , escaped captivity in January 1870. While Schultz ventured toward Ontario, the others were captured again on February 17 after trying unsuccessfully to raid Fort Garry. A tribunal set up by the Provisional Government and led by its military commander Ambroise-Dydime Lépine sentenced Boulton to death for rioting. He was later pardoned, but Scott interpreted this as a sign of the Métis' weakness, which he deeply despised. He rioted unrestrainedly against his guards and threatened to kill Riel after he was freed. After several warnings, a four-member jury sentenced him to death again for continual refusal to obey . Riel has been urged several times to overturn the sentence. According to Donald Smith, however, he is said to have said:

"I have done three good things since I have commenced: I have spared Boulton's life at your instance, I pardoned Gaddy, and now I shall shoot Scott."

"I've done three good things since I started: I spared Boulton's life at your insistence, I pardoned Gaddy, and now I'm going to have Scott shot."

Scott was shot dead on March 4th at Fort Garry. Riel's motivation for allowing the execution to take place has been the subject of much speculation. He justified his actions by saying that it was necessary to show the Canadian Party that the Métis must be taken seriously. The news of Scott's execution caused an uproar in Ontario, not least because of Schultz's agitation.

Founding of Manitoba and Wolseley Expedition

The delegates representing the Provisional Government left the Red River Colony for Ottawa in March. Although initially faced with legal problems resulting from Scott's execution, after being arrested twice they were soon able to negotiate directly with Prime Minister John Macdonald and Defense Secretary George-Étienne Cartier . These negotiations began on April 26th and were mainly led by Father Joseph-Noël Ritchot. An agreement was quickly reached that included the claims on the list of rights. This agreement formed the basis for the Manitoba Act , which on May 15, 1870 led to the formal admission of the new province of Manitoba into the Canadian Confederation . However, the delegation failed to negotiate a general amnesty for the Provisional Government , although, as Ritchot noted, the Queen's representative Sir John Young and Cartier had promised that the Queen was planning an early amnesty.

To assert Canadian authority in the new province and to deter possible American expansionists , the government dispatched an expeditionary force of British soldiers and militiamen from Ontario under the command of Colonel Garnet Wolseley , which arrived on the Red River on August 20 (see Red River Expedition ). This marked the end of the rebellion. The government described the expedition as "errand of peace" (errand of peace) , but radicalized militia in the ranks of the expedition planned to Riel lynch . Riel found out about it on August 24 and initially sought refuge with Bishop Taché in Saint-Boniface. He then went to the St. Joseph Mission South of the border in the Dakota Territory , where his former Latin teacher, Father Lefloch, now lived.

In between years

Amnesty question

Adams George Archibald , the new lieutenant governor , arrived on September 2, 1870 and began building a civil administration. His task was made more difficult by the voluntary militias from Ontario, who intimidated Métis and other political opponents with violence and in two cases did not shy away from murder. The results of the first election to the Manitoba Legislative Assembly were encouraging to Riel, as many of his supporters were elected and were in government. In February 1871, stress and financial problems led to a serious illness, possibly a sign of his future mental ailments. It was not until May that he returned to his family in St. Vital (now part of Winnipeg ).

Louis Riel around 1875

Manitoba now faced a new threat: a Fenian Brotherhood raid from Minnesota led by Riel's former associate, William Bernard O'Donoghue , Treasurer of the Provisional Government. The threat turned out to be exaggerated, but Lieutenant Governor Archibald called to arms on October 4th. Several companies of armed horsemen were recruited, one of which Riel led himself. When Archibald inspected the troops in Saint-Boniface, he publicly shook Riel's hand, signaling that an rapprochement had taken place. When news of the event reached Ontario, Charles Mair and members of Canada First stirred local people's hatred of Riel and Archibald. A year before the general election in 1872 , Prime Minister Macdonald could hardly afford a further deterioration in the strained relations between Ontario and the French-speaking province of Québec . Through Bishop Taché, he offered Riel 1,000 dollars if he would go into voluntary exile and thereby help calm the situation. At Taché's instigation, Donald Smith contributed an additional £ 600 to support the family. Riel accepted the offer and arrived in Saint Paul , Minnesota on March 2, 1872 .

Riel returned to Manitoba at the end of June and was persuaded to run as a member of the Canadian lower house in the Provencher constituency . Contributing to this was that in May he received a letter from his deceased father through a nun in which he blessed his son. Riel interpreted the letter as encouragement to resume political activity. George-Étienne Cartier, who advocated an amnesty for Riel, lost in his constituency in Montreal in early September. Riel then renounced his candidacy in order to help Cartier to vote (the election took place on several dates over a period of just under three months). Cartier was elected by acclamation , but Riel's hope for a quick solution to the amnesty question was dashed after Cartier's death on May 20, 1873. For the subsequent election in October 1873, Riel ran unopposed as an independent and was elected, although he had again have to flee. Arrest warrants were issued against Riel and Ambroise-Dydime Lépine in September for ordering Scott's execution. Lépine was captured and brought to justice.

Riel enjoyed widespread political support in Québec and went to Montreal to see the House of Commons Honoré Mercier . He planned to travel to Ottawa with him and take up his parliamentary mandate. Shortly before his arrival, Riel made a different decision, fearing his arrest or even his murder - Edward Blake , the Prime Minister of Ontario, had put a $ 5,000 bounty on him. Riel was the only MP who did not participate in the debate on the Pacific scandal that led to the resignation of Macdonald's Conservative government in November 1873. Alexander Mackenzie , the leader of the Liberal Party , took over as Prime Minister of Canada. In the early election in January 1874, Riel ran again in the Provencher constituency and successfully defended his seat against the liberal challenger. He had to register to confirm his choice and did so in secret in late January. Riel's election was canceled following a motion from Mackenzie Bowell and John Christian Schultz, who had been elected in the Lisgar constituency. Unimpressed by this, Riel took up the by-election in September 1874 and was re-elected. Again, he was expelled from parliament, whereupon public opinion in Québec tended strongly in his favor, as he was now considered a suppressed defender of the rights of Francophones and Catholics in Manitoba and the Northwest Territories .

Exile, belief in the prophets and instruction

Riel's decision to be politically active was shaken by several events that were of great importance in his religious worldview. So he recovered after a visit to Bishop Ignace Bourget in Montreal after he had blessed him. Riel took this as a miracle.

Meanwhile, Riel lived with priests of the Oblate Order in Plattsburgh in the extreme northeast of the US state New York . He met Father Fabien Martin dit Barnabé in the neighboring village of Keeseville and learned that Lépine had been convicted of Scott's murder on November 4, 1874 and sentenced to death. The verdict sparked violent protests in the Québec press, and the Québec Parliament unanimously demanded Lépine's and Riel's amnesty. Alexander Mackenzie was confronted with a serious political crisis, as the demands of the most populous provinces of Ontario and Québec were completely opposite. In January 1875, however, a solution emerged when Governor General Lord Dufferin, on his own initiative, reduced Lépine's sentence to two years in prison. Mackenzie was then able to obtain Riel's amnesty in parliament on the condition that he remained exiled for five years.

During his exile, Riel was mainly concerned with religion rather than politics. He had visions several times and was increasingly convinced that he was a divinely chosen leader of the Métis. This conviction was reinforced by a letter from Ignace Bourget dated July 14, 1875. In it he wrote that Riel would soon be rewarded for his spiritual sacrifices and that God had given him a mission that he had to fulfill. Riel illegally traveled to Montreal in September. In October 1875, he met several times in Indianapolis with the American Senator Oliver Morton and presented him with a plan aimed at the invasion of Manitoba by the United States. However, Morton did not want to give any assurance. On November 4th, his brother Charles died. Riel visited Washington, DC in December and made another attempt to find support for an invasion. Again he was unsuccessful, but on December 8th he had a first vision, which he later regarded as the starting point of his mission.

In these months, Riel showed signs of megalomania if one followed contemporary interpretations . Sometimes the opinion is also expressed that he had a nervous breakdown and was later convinced that he was just faking madness like King David once did .

His condition worsened, he stayed with various clergymen, and after a particularly violent outbreak he was taken to Montreal to see his uncle John Lee, where he stayed for a few months. But after Riel had disrupted a service, Lee had him admitted to the insane asylum Longue-Pointe on March 6, 1876 under the false name "Louis R. David" . The doctors feared his discovery by political enemies and transferred him as "Louis Larochelle" to the Beauport institution near the city of Quebec . He was accompanied by the influential politicians Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau and Joseph-Alfred Mousseau , who had made his new identities possible in the first place. Riel showed sporadic irrational and violent attacks, according to the doctors. He wrote religious texts and theological treatises that contained a mixture of Christian and Jewish elements. Subsequently, he called himself "David Riel, Prophet of the New World" and prayed standing for hours with assistants holding up his arms in the shape of a cross. On January 23, 1878 he was released from the institution with the admonition to lead an inconspicuous life in the future. He returned to Keeseville for some time, where he began a passionate romance with Evelina Martin dit Barnabé, the sister of his friend Fabien. Riel did not have enough financial resources to propose to her. He moved west, hoping that she would follow him. But she decided that life on the prairie was not for her, and the correspondence soon ended.

Stay in the Montana Territory

Riel's children Jean-Louis and Marie-Angélique

In the autumn of 1878 Riel went back to Saint Paul and briefly visited friends and relatives. The livelihoods for the Métis on the Red River changed rapidly at that time. The bison , on which they were dependent, became increasingly rare due to intensive hunting, the number of settlers increased steadily and unscrupulous speculators bought up large areas of land. Like other Métis who had left Manitoba, Riel moved further west to start a new existence. He worked as a trader and translator in the Fort Benton area of the Montana Territory . There he became aware of the prevalent alcoholism and its harmful influence on Métis and Indians. He tried unsuccessfully to restrict the whiskey trade . In January 1879 he wrote a long, bitter poem against Prime Minister John Macdonald on Norman Gingras' farm near St. Joseph . In August 1879, he may have met with the Sioux who had fled across the border into Canada. From January to May 1880 he tried to persuade Métis and Indian groups to invade the Milk River , but this plan also failed. On August 6, 1880, Métis requested the establishment of a reservation on the Musselshell River. Riel personally presented the request to Colonel Nelson A. Miles at Fort Keogh two weeks later. He lived with the Métis Montanas until 1883. On March 9, 1882, he married Marguerite Monet dit Bellehumeur (1861-1886), a young Métis. The couple had three children: Jean-Louis (1882-1908), Marie-Angélique (1883-1897) and a boy who died in October 1885 after just one day.

Riel soon got involved in Montana politics and actively campaigned for the Republican Party in 1882 . He charged a Democrat with election fraud, but was himself accused of fraudulently getting British subjects to vote. In response, Riel applied for U.S. citizenship and was naturalized on March 16, 1883. In mid-May, he was briefly arrested on charges of election fraud and taken to Fort Benton. On September 27th and 28th, he called there in his trial, a legal dispute that dragged on until April 16, 1884 without result. In 1884 he accepted an offer from the Jesuits and gave lessons in St. Peter's Mission on the Sun River, a source of the Missouri . He also took action against alcohol dealers like Simon Pepin. When his sister Henriette married on July 10, 1883, he traveled to Winnipeg.

Northwest Rebellion

Abuses in the Saskatchewan Territory

In the years following the Red River Rebellion, the Métis had moved west and settled mainly in the valley of the South Saskatchewan River around the St. Laurent Mission Station. The rapid collapse of the bison populations led to famine among the native First Nations of the Cree and Blackfoot . These were exacerbated by the reduction in state food deliveries in 1883 and the general lack of interest on the part of the federal government in fulfilling its agreements set out in the Numbered Treaties . The Métis were also forced to give up the hunt and turn to agriculture. But that transition brought with it the same complex problems that they had faced in Manitoba. In addition, the numerous new settlers from Europe and the eastern provinces also complained about the inadequate state administration.

Virtually all sections of the population had grievances to complain about. From 1884 onwards, English-speaking settlers, Anglo-Métis and Métis met for meetings and petitioned the largely unresponsive government to move them to action. A meeting of 30 representatives of the Métis on March 24th in Batoche decided to persuade Riel to return, as they only trusted him to unite the various population groups in a common approach. On May 6, Métis and settlers from Prince Albert attended another meeting. The latter included Honoré Jackson , originally from Ontario, who sympathized with the Métis. The congregation decided to send a delegation to Montana to ask Riel's assistance.

Riel's return, alienation from the Catholic Church

The head of the delegation was Gabriel Dumont , a respected bison hunter and leader of the Métis of St. Laurent, who had met Riel in Manitoba. The Anglo-Métis had only sent one representative. Riel was quickly convinced to support her cause - which was hardly surprising given his belief that he was a Métis chosen by God and prophet of a new form of Christianity. He also intended to use the new influential position to enforce his own land claims in Manitoba. The group left on June 4th and reached Batoche on July 5th. After a series of speeches in which he advocated moderation and a sensible approach, Métis and English-speaking settlers initially got a good impression of Riel. In June 1884, Cree tribal leaders Big Bear and Poundmaker also met for negotiations with Riel. The problems of the Indians were very different from those of the settlers, however, and no agreement was reached.

Inspired by Riel, Honoré Jackson and representatives from other communities set out to draft a petition. On July 28, Jackson published a manifesto detailing the settlers' grievances and demands. A joint committee of Métis and Settlers, with Jackson as secretary, worked to reconcile the demands of the various groups. Meanwhile, support for Riel was beginning to wane. As his religious utterances diverged more and more from Catholicism, the clergy increasingly distanced themselves from it. Father Alexis André warned him not to mix religion and politics any further. For his part, Riel told Bishop Vital Grandin on September 5 that he was disappointed at the lack of support from the Church. He attached all the more importance to the celebration in honor of Métis saint St. Joseph on September 24th.

As a result of bribes by Lieutenant Governor and Indian Commissioner Edgar Dewdney , the coverage of Riel in the English-language local newspapers was critical. The petition, whose main demands were the guarantee of land rights and the conversion of the Northwest Territories into a province, was sent to the federal government on December 16. Secretary of State Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau confirmed the reception and Prime Minister Macdonald forwarded it to Home Secretary David Lewis Macpherson .

Break with the Church

While waiting for news from Ottawa, Riel considered returning to Montana, but decided to stay in February 1885. When things seemed to peter out, Riel began to pray compulsively and suffered a violent relapse into his religious delusions. His relationship with the Catholic hierarchy deteriorated when he publicly took an increasingly heretical stance. The government replied on February 11, 1885. She proposed that a census be carried out in the Northwest Territories and that a commission be set up to investigate the grievances. This response angered the Métis, which they interpreted as the government's delaying tactic. A minority advocated calling for arms immediately. The church, the majority of the English-speaking settlers and also the majority of the Métis, who stood behind Riel's cousin Charles Nolin , opposed violence . But Riel, influenced by his messianic madness, was increasingly convinced of this approach. On March 15, he interrupted the sermon in the Church of St. Laurent to promote his position, whereupon the pastor refused him the sacraments . Riel preached his own theology to his followers, spoke to them about his "divine revelations" and proclaimed Bishop Ignace Bourget as the new Pope . The break with the Catholic Church was now evident; Nevertheless, numerous Métis held to the charismatic Riel, as he was very talented rhetorically.

Revolt, founding a religion

On March 18, 1885, it was announced that the North-West Mounted Police garrison at Battleford had reinforcements. Although only 100 men had been dispatched due to warnings from Father Alexis André and Superintendent Leif Newry Fitzroy Crozier , rumors soon spread that a 500-strong, heavily armed force was approaching the area. The patience of Riel's followers was exhausted; they armed themselves, took hostages, and cut the telegraph lines between Batoche and Battleford. On March 19, the "Provisional Government of Saskatchewan" was constituted in Batoche with Riel as political and spiritual leader, while Gabriel Dumont took over responsibility for military affairs. In the same month Riel formed a religiously motivated council of about 20 men, which he called "Exovedat", a neologism of ex (out) and ovis ( sheep ) meaning "those who leave the flock (meaning the Catholic community) to have". The priests detained in Batoche excommunicated him on April 30th. Riel asked for support from Poundmaker and Big Bear in March. On March 21, Riel's envoys asked Crozier to give up Fort Carlton , but Crozier refused. The situation became increasingly critical and on March 23, Edgar Dewdney sent a telegram to Macdonald stating that military action might be necessary. When a group headed by Gabriel Dumont was scouting the Duck Lake area on March 26, they unexpectedly came across a patrol from Fort Carlton. In the battle of Duck Lake that followed, the mounted policemen were driven back. As soon as the Indians found out about this, they also took up arms. The Northwest Rebellion had finally begun.

Riel's imprisonment in Middleton's camp near Batoche

Riel had assumed that the Canadian federal government would not be able to respond effectively to another uprising in the distant Northwest Territories and that he could thereby force them into political negotiations. It was the same strategy that had worked during the Red River Rebellion in 1870. At that time, the troops had only arrived in Manitoba three months after the Provisional Government came to power. This time, however, Riel had underestimated the importance of the Canadian Pacific Railway , which was under construction . Although there were still large gaps in the railway line, the first troops and militia units under the command of Major General Frederick Dobson Middleton arrived in Duck Lake just two weeks later.

Dumont was aware that he could not defeat the Canadian troops in open battle and hoped to force them to negotiate through a protracted guerrilla campaign . He was able to achieve a modest success in the Battle of Fish Creek on April 24 with this tactic . However, Riel insisted on joining forces in Batoche to defend his "City of God". The Battle of Batoche from May 9th to 12th ended with the defeat of the insurgents. While Dumont was fleeing to the United States, Riel surrendered to government forces on May 15. Big Bear's troops held out until the Battle of Loon Lake on June 3, but they surrendered within a month.

High treason trial

captivity

Courthouse in Regina

After his arrest, Riel was initially held in a military camp near Batoche. On May 16, 1885, Defense Minister Adolphe-Philippe Caron ordered his transfer to Winnipeg, where he was to be judged. The prisoner transport went there by rail, but on the way in Moose Jaw received direct instructions from Prime Minister Macdonald to bring Riel to Regina . Had Riel been tried in Manitoba Province, he would have been judged by a twelve-person jury , which would have included several French-speaking jurors. In contrast, federal law in the Northwest Territories required only six jurors and contained no provisions regarding their bilingualism. In addition, in Manitoba an independent lay judge would have conducted the trial, while in the Northwest Territories a federal government-appointed and remunerated magistrate was responsible. The transport of prisoners arrived in Regina on May 23; Riel was held captive in the barracks of the North-West Mounted Police in a cell barely three square meters, chained to an iron ball. He wrote to Edgar Dewdney and Richard Burton Deane, the prison commanders , on June 24, requesting a hearing in the Supreme Court .

Prosecutors began work on July 1 and six days later they informed Riel that he was being charged with high treason. On July 14, Riel met three of his lawyers for the first time: They were François-Xavier Lemieux and Charles Fitzpatrick , two lawyers from Québec who belong to the Association Nationale pour la Défense des Prisonniers Métis ("National Society for the Defense of Métis Prisoners") and Thomas Cooke Johnstone from Ontario, who recently settled in Regina.

The process

The six jurors

The process was so one-sided against Riel that he could practically only lose. Of the 36 people who had to make themselves available as a jury, only one spoke French - and was unable to attend the trial. In addition, the prosecution dismissed the only Catholic - an Irishman - because he was not of British descent. So it came about that the jury consisted exclusively of English and Scottish Protestants, all of whom came from the immediate area around Regina. On the side of the prosecution were some of the most prominent lawyers in the country. Among them was a Francophone, who later became post office minister Thomas Chase-Casgrain , who was later attacked for this in his home province.

Magistrate Hugh Richardson read the indictment on July 20, opening the trial. Riel was charged on six counts. He was accused of instigating the skirmishes at Duck Lake, Fish Creek and Batoche and thereby committed treason against the British Queen Victoria . These three crimes were listed twice with almost identical wording, since Riel was both a British subject and a citizen of the United States. He pleaded “not guilty” on all points. His lawyers asked for a stay because they had not had enough time to prepare and all of the witnesses had not yet arrived. Richardson granted the stay and adjourned the trial until July 28th.

Louis Riel during the trial

The prosecution presented nine witnesses, including Charles Nolin , who fled during the Battle of Batoche, was later captured and now testified against his cousin Louis Riel as a key witness in exchange for his release . In cross-examination , the defense tried in vain to prove the defendant's mental instability and thereby obtain his release for incapacity . The defense could only call its own witnesses on July 30th. They agreed that Riel was insane. The prosecution, in turn, attempted to discredit the defense witnesses. Riel himself did not want to be portrayed as insane and thwarted the strategy of his defenders. He held a lengthy closing argument in which he justified his own actions and advocated the rights of the Métis.

After only half an hour of deliberation, the jury found Riel guilty on July 31, but recommended his pardon. Magistrate Hugh Richardson disregarded this recommendation, sentenced the accused to death and designated September 18, 1885 as the date of execution . Riel's attorneys referred the verdict to the Manitoba Court of Appeal (which also had jurisdiction over the Northwest Territories). Finally, on October 22nd, the highest judicial authority in the British Empire , the Privy Council Judiciary Committee , declined to deal with the case.

execution

After the verdict became known, protests erupted in Québec and other French-speaking regions of the country. Prime Minister Macdonald, apparently giving in to pressure from French-speaking cabinet members, ordered a medical reassessment of Riel's state of mind on October 31, in the utmost secrecy. Two specialists considered him sane, while a third considered him insane. The government subsequently changed the statement made by the latter in order to be able to present a unified opinion to Parliament when the case was finally discussed the following year. Macdonald is quoted as follows:

Riel's tomb at the Saint-Boniface cathedral

"He shall hang though every dog ​​in Quebec bark in his favor"

"He'll hang even if every dog ​​in Québec barks in his favor."

Shortly before his execution , Riel reconciled with the Catholic Church and appointed Father Alexis André as his spiritual advisor. On November 16, 1885, at eight o'clock in the morning, he was led from his cell to the place of execution in the courtyard of the police barracks. He prayed with the priest, renounced his heresy and received absolution. Then the executioner took place after a final Lord's Prayer execution by the train .

After the execution, the body was transferred to Riel's mother's house in St. Vital and laid out there. After a requiem , the funeral took place on December 12th in the cemetery of the Saint-Boniface cathedral.

Aftermath

Political Consequences

In 1887 the federal government recognized all land claims of the Métis in Saskatchewan and carried out a new survey of their river parcels in accordance with their wishes. However, the Métis largely misjudged the long-term value of their new possessions. Soon speculators bought the land on favorable terms and made big profits. Riel's fears came true: After the failed rebellion, the French language and the Roman Catholic denomination in Saskatchewan and Manitoba were increasingly marginalized. This was particularly evident in the Manitoba School Question of 1890, when the provincial government stopped funding Catholic schools and withdrew French from its official language status. The Métis were increasingly forced to live on poorly yielding land or to settle near Indian reservations (since, unlike the First Nations, they had no contractual status).

The outrage over Riel's execution resulted in a permanent and fundamental change in the political situation in Québec. Honoré Mercier sparked French-Canadian nationalism and won the provincial election in January 1887 at the expense of the Conservatives. In the same year Wilfrid Laurier took over the chairmanship of the Liberal Party and in 1896 he became Canada's first French-speaking Prime Minister. At the federal level, the Quebecers turned away from Macdonald's Conservative Party , which in the following decades could not shake its reputation as parti des anglais ("Party of the English") and was considered practically ineligible. With the exception of the late 1950s and mid-1980s, it was never the strongest force in Québec.

The prevailing opinion among the French Canadians was that outside of Québec they were just a minority in the Canadian state with no rights and that the Protestant British oppressed them. Further conflicts such as the Manitoba school question, the severe restriction of French-language school teaching in Ontario (see regulation 17 ) or the conscription crisis during the First World War reinforced this impression in the following decades. The fact that Riel's name has also found political resonance in recent times became apparent in November 1994 when Suzanne Tremblay, a member of the lower house of the separatist Bloc Québécois , introduced a bill aimed at lifting Riel's conviction. The unsuccessful proposal was seen by English-speaking MPs as an attempt to draw public attention to the separatists' goals shortly before the 1995 independence referendum in Québec.

Among the Métis, Riel's defeat led to the flight of many of his allies, with numerous families fled to the United States. These mostly Catholic refugees were so numerous that the Protestant Mètis soon became a minority south of the border. This went so far that Métis were generally considered “Canadian” Métis, and thus as descendants of the French and Cree, not of the French and Ojibwa. In 1896, 600 arrested people who had been driven from their reservation were simply loaded onto cars on the orders of John J. Pershing and taken to Lethbridge , Canada , even though they did not belong to the Canadian group. In contrast, the so-called Riel-Métis had no problems being recognized as “Indians” and obtaining a reservation. The descendants of the landless now belong to the Little Shell Tribe , which was only recognized by Montana in 1991 and by the federal government in 2019.

Reassessment of Riel

The originally widespread view, especially among Anglo Canadians, that Louis Riel was a mentally ill traitor, found increasingly less support in the second half of the 20th century. Many Canadians now regard him as a heroic freedom fighter who stood up against a racist government for the rights of his people. Even those who do not doubt his mental illness tend to consider him an honorable person. Still, Riel is an enigmatic figure, and historians like JMS Careless leave open the possibility that he was both a murderer and a hero.

It is conceivable that Riel's hasty decision to execute Thomas Scott marked a turning point in the history of the Métis. Shortly after the Red River Rebellion, the Canadian government allowed speculators to take over the Métis' land holdings largely unmolested. Had Scott not been executed, given the previous good relations with the Métis, the government would have been far more rigorous in monitoring the land surveys. Several political scientists, including Thomas Flanagan, point out that there are some similarities between Riel's supporters during the Northwest Rebellion and millenarian cults that emerged in the same era. Other groups used Riel's image as a revolutionary: in the 1960s, one of the terrorist cells of the Marxist-nationalist Front de Liberation du Québec was named "Louis Riel".

In her inaugural address on November 16, 1999, Governor General Adrienne Clarkson emphasized that Louis Riel's actions were the basis for the development of minority rights and the cooperation of different cultures in Canada.

Commemoration

"Tortured" Riel

Two statues in the city of Winnipeg commemorate Louis Riel. The older one, the work of the architect Étienne Gaboury (a descendant of Riel) and the sculptor Marcien Lemay, shows him as a distorted, naked and tortured figure. It was unveiled in 1970 and initially stood on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly for 23 years . After numerous protests (in particular by the Métis) that the statue was an unworthy misrepresentation, it was removed and placed at the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface . To replace it, Miguel Joyal created a new bronze statue depicting Riel as a dignified statesman. The unveiling took place on May 16, 1996.

New Riel statue

Streets, schools, and other buildings have been named after Louis Riel in numerous places in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and other provinces, such as the University of Saskatchewan's Student Center in Saskatoon .

The Louis Riel House in Winnipeg is a listed building. Louis Riel's mother's house was built in 1880/81; he never lived there himself, but his body was laid out there before the burial. The house at 330 River Road in St. Vital remained in the family until 1968. It was acquired by the Manitoba Historical Society in April 1968 and passed to Parks Canada in 1970 . It has been a National Historic Site since 1980 and is open to the public.

The most important north-south road connection in the province of Saskatchewan, Highway 11 from Regina via Saskatoon to Prince Albert , has been called the Louis Riel Trail since 2001 . The road leads past various scenes of the Northwest Rebellion.

On September 26, 2007, the Manitoba Legislative Assembly passed law introducing a state holiday at the provincial level, Louis Riel Day . It falls on the third Monday in February and corresponds to Family Day in several other provinces . It was first celebrated on February 18, 2008. Riel is now often referred to as the "Father of Manitoba".

Art and popular culture

In 1925, the French writer Maurice Constantin-Weyer , who had lived in Manitoba for ten years, published a fictionalized biography of Riel entitled La Bourrasque . An English translation (A Martyr's Folly) published in 1930, a new version (The Half-breed) in 1954. Riel's role in the Red River Rebellion is including in the CBC - television film Riel in 1979 and in the 2003 by drawn and Quarterly published and Chester Brown drawn graphic novel Louis Riel: A comic-Strip Biography discussed. An episode of the TV series How the West (How the West Was Won) was of the 1979 L'Affaire Riel and acted by Louis Riel's stay in the United States.

To mark the centenary of the Canadian Confederation in 1967, the Floyd S. Chalmers Foundation commissioned the opera Louis Riel . The opera in three acts was written by Harry Somers , with an English and French language libretto by Mavor Moore and Jacques Languirand. The world premiere by the Canadian Opera Company took place on September 23, 1967 at the O'Keefe Center in Toronto . British singer Billy Childish wrote the song Louis Riel and released it in 1992 with his garage rock band Thee Headcoatees . A song of the same name from 1998 comes from the Texan Doug Sahm and can be found on his album SDQ '98 .

On October 22, 2003, Canadian news channels CBC Newsworld and Réseau de l'information, in collaboration with the Dominion Institute, re-enacted Louis Riel's trial. At the same time, the prosecution and defense pleadings and Riel's testimony appeared in the National Post . Viewers were then asked to give their opinion on the Internet. Of the more than 10,000 participants, 87% pleaded “innocent”. The result of this unrepresentative survey led to demands for a posthumous pardon for Riel. On April 5, 2004, CBC's The Greatest Canadian television program , which searched for the greatest Canadian , voted Louis Riel 11th.

swell

According to the people and institutions involved in the conflict, the sources on Riel are scattered between Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Ottawa and London. Riel's first works were published shortly after his death. Comprehensive source editions were made mainly on the 100th anniversary of his death. In addition to government research institutions such as those of the universities of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the Louis Riel Institute of the Manitoba Métis Federation stood out. The University of Saskatchewan provides an archive search database on their website, The Northwest Resistance

literature

Web links

Commons : Louis Riel  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Red River Colony ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .
  2. ^ Marie-Anne-Gaboury . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . 24 volumes, 1966–2018. University of Toronto Press, Toronto ( English , French ).
  3. ↑ Pierre-Guillaume Sayer . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . 24 volumes, 1966–2018. University of Toronto Press, Toronto ( English , French ).
  4. ↑ George FG Stanley, p. 75.
  5. ^ T. Flanagan: Louis David Riel: Prophet of the new world. 1996, p. 4.
  6. ↑ Sara Riel died on December 27, 1883. Her grave is still in Île-à-la-Crosse , Saskatchewan, in the language of the Cree Sakitawak.
  7. ^ T. Flanagan: Louis David Riel: Prophet of the new world. 1996, p. 6.
  8. ^ T. Flanagan: Louis David Riel: Prophet of the new world. 1996, p. 7.
  9. ^ T. Flanagan: Louis David Riel: Prophet of the new world. 1996, p. 20.
  10. ^ The Passion of Louis Riel. (No longer available online.) St Simon's Anglican Church, North Vancouver, archived from the original January 27, 2009 ; accessed on September 29, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www3.telus.net
  11. ^ T. Flanagan: Louis David Riel: Prophet of the new world. 1996, p. 27.
  12. ^ Lionel Dorge: Manitoba History: Bishop Taché and the Confederation of Manitoba, 1869-1870. Manitoba Historical Society, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  13. ↑ Colin Read: Manitoba History: The Red River Rebellion and JS Dennis. Manitoba Historical Society, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  14. ↑ Canada in the Making: The Riel Rebellions. Canadiana, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  15. ↑ Le Nouveau Monde was a newspaper taken over by the Catholic Church and published from 1867 to 1897 (Yvan Lamonde, Patricia Lockhart Fleming, Fiona A. Black (eds.): History of the Book in Canada. Volume 2: 1840-1918 . University of Toronto Press, Toronto 2005, p. 304)
  16. ^ From Sea to Sea, The Métis Resistance. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2001, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  17. ^ Local Laws . In: New Nation . Vol I, No. April 18, 15, 1870.
  18. ^ A b c Claude Bélanger: The "Murder" of Thomas Scott. Marianopolis College, 2007, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  19. ↑ Charles Arkoll Boulton, Heather Robertson: I Fought Riel . James Lorimer & Company, Halifax 1985, ISBN 0-88862-935-4 , pp. 51 .
  20. ^ William F. Maton: Appendix 5C: Métis Nation Land and Resource Rights. (PDF; 242 kB) Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada , February 8, 2006, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  21. ^ William F. Maton: Manitoba Act, 1870. The Solon Law Archive, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  22. ↑ PL-1553 Wolseley Expedition Province of Manitoba. Government of Manitoba, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  23. ^ T. Flanagan: Louis David Riel: Prophet of the new world. 1996, p. 37.
  24. ^ Richard S. Bowles: Adams George Archibald, First Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba. In: MHS Transactions Series 3, Number 25, 1968-69 season. Manitoba Historical Society, 2007, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  25. ↑ Ruth Swan: Unequal justice: The Metis in O'Donoghue's Raid of 1871. In: Manitoba History, Number 39, Spring / Summer 2000. Manitoba Historical Society, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  26. ↑ Louis Riel (1844-1885): Biography. (PDF) Musée Virtuel, accessed on June 10, 2009 (French).
  27. ↑ Ambroise-Dydime Lépine . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . 24 volumes, 1966–2018. University of Toronto Press, Toronto ( English , French ).
  28. ^ T. Flanagan: Louis David Riel: Prophet of the new world. 1996, p. 53.
  29. ↑ a b What Riel mentally ill? - Rethinking Riel. In: CBC Archives. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2006, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  30. ^ T. Flanagan: Louis David Riel: Prophet of the new world. 1996, p. 71.
  31. ↑ Reverand Ed Hird: The Passion of Louis Riel. (No longer available online.) In: Deep Cove Crier. St. Simon's Anglican Church, North Vancouver, March 2004, archived from the original on January 27, 2009 ; accessed on June 10, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www3.telus.net
  32. ↑ Marguerite Monet dit Bellehumeur ( Memento from January 1, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
  33. ^ Louis Riel - La confédération canadienne. Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, December 14, 2001, accessed June 10, 2009 (French).
  34. ↑ Glenn Walker: Big Bear. In: The Indigenous Peoples' Literature pages. Retrieved June 10, 2009 .
  35. ^ Cree Chief Poundmaker. Virtual Saskatchewan, 2007, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  36. ^ Louis Riel to W. Jackson September 22, 1884 .: Call No. MSS C555 / 2 / 13.7d. In: Northwest Resistance Database. University of Saskatchewan, 2006, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  37. ↑ Jackson, William Henry to Friend? Jan. 21, 1885 .: Call No. MSS C555 / 2 / 13.9e. In: Northwest Resistance Database. University of Saskatchewan, 2006, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  38. ↑ Monique Demontet: Essay 16 Controversy in the Commemoration of Louis Riel. (No longer available online.) University of Western Ontario, archived from the original November 20, 2005 ; accessed on June 10, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.uwo.ca
  39. ↑ Why did the 1885 Resistance Happen? (PDF) Virtual Museum, accessed on June 10, 2009 (English).
  40. ^ North-West Resistance. (No longer available online.) In: The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina, 2006, archived from the original on December 21, 2007 ; accessed on June 10, 2009 .
  41. ^ T. Flanagan: Louis 'David' Riel: Prophet of the new world. 1996, p. 226. Deane later published his memoirs: Mounted Police Life in Canada. London 1916. (Reprinted by Coles Publishing, Toronto 1973)
  42. ^ François-Xavier Lemieux (neveu). Assemblée nationale du Québec, May 2009, accessed June 10, 2009 (French).
  43. ^ Charles Fitzpatrick. In : haltenraum.com. July 28, 2016, accessed November 14, 2018 .
  44. ^ The Honorable Thomas C. Johnstone. Courts of Saskatchewan, accessed April 28, 2016 .
  45. ^ The Indictment of Louis Riel. (No longer available online.) In: Louis Riel Trial 1885. University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Law, 2004, archived from the original on May 20, 2009 ; accessed on June 10, 2009 .
  46. ↑ Charles Nolin . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . 24 volumes, 1966–2018. University of Toronto Press, Toronto ( English , French ).
  47. ↑ Final Statement of Louis Riel at his trial in Regina, 1885. (No longer available online.) In: Louis Riel Trial 1885. University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Law, archived from the original on August 5, 2007 ; accessed on June 10, 2009 .
  48. ^ Claude Bélanger: North-West Rebellion - Canadian History. In: L'Encyclopédie de l'histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia. Marianopolis College, 2007, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  49. ^ Doug Linder: The Trial of Louis Riel. (No longer available online.) In: The Trial of Louis Riel Homepage. University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Law, 2004, archived from the original May 20, 2009 ; accessed on June 10, 2009 .
  50. ↑ Act to revoke the conviction of Louis Riel, Bill C-288 (first reading). (No longer available online.) In: The Trial of Louis Riel Homepage. University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Law, 1994, archived from the original November 30, 2007 ; accessed on June 14, 2009 .
  51. ^ Marga Lincoln: Little Shell Tribe has sought federal recognition for over a century. Independent Record, October 14, 2007, accessed September 30, 2009 .
  52. ↑ Great Falls Tribune: 'The day that never comes finally came': Little Shell community reacts to federal recognition , December 20, 2019
  53. ↑ JMS Careless: Canada: A story of challenge . Stoddart, Toronto 1991, ISBN 0-7736-7354-7 .
  54. ↑ Anna Reczyńska: Louis Riel - The Rediscoverd Hero. (PDF) American Studies Institute at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, 2004, accessed on June 18, 2009 (English).
  55. ↑ Shannon Bower: "Practical Results": The Riel Statue Controversy at the Manitoba Legislative Building . In: Manitoba History . No. 42 , Fall / Winter 2001/02 (English, online [accessed June 10, 2009]).
  56. ↑ 1980: Place Riel opens. In: Deo et Patriae: Events in the History of the University of Saskatchewan. University of Saskatchewan, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  57. ^ Frits Pannekoek: Riel House: A Critical Review. In: Archivaria. 18, 1984, pp. 255-262.
  58. ^ Riel House National Historic Site of Canada. (No longer available online.) Parks Canada, archived from the original February 8, 2007 ; accessed on June 10, 2009 .
  59. ^ The Louis Riel Trail. (No longer available online.) Tourism Saskatchewan, archived from the original on December 3, 2008 ; accessed on June 10, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sasktourism.com
  60. ↑ Manitoba's new holiday: Louis Riel Day. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, September 25, 2007; accessed June 10, 2009 .
  61. ↑ So on the website ( Memento of September 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) of the government of the province, or on that of the Heritage Center / Le Center du patrimoine .
  62. ^ Maurice Constantin-Weyer. In: Dictionnaire des auteurs de langue française en Amérique du Nord. Éditions Fides, 1989, accessed June 10, 2009 (French).
  63. ↑ Riel in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  64. ↑ Biography of Louis Riel: Excerpts from a comic-strip biography. (No longer available online.) In: The Trial of Louis Riel Homepage. University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Law, archived from the original September 10, 2007 ; accessed on June 10, 2009 .
  65. ↑ How the West Was Won, L'Affaire Riel in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  66. ^ Music Division Archival Guide— Harry Somers, 1925-1999. In: Collections Canada. Library and Archives Canada, August 11, 2003, accessed June 10, 2009 .
  67. ^ Del Muise: Canada: A People's History. (No longer available online.) Center for the Study of Historical Consciousness, Carleton University, archived from the original July 6, 2011 ; accessed on June 10, 2009 .
  68. ↑ Who is The Greatest Canadian? CBC viewers respond. Filibuster cartoons, accessed September 29, 2012 .
This article was added to the list of excellent articles on October 11, 2009 in this version .
personal data
SURNAME Riel, Louis
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Riel, Louis David (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian rebel and politician
DATE OF BIRTH October 22, 1844
PLACE OF BIRTH Red River Colony
DATE OF DEATH November 16, 1885
Place of death Regina