Métis and the Red River Settlement

 HBC and NWC competition became more fierce: Moved deeper inland posts near each other  Who are the Métis? Mix blood first nations and French (NWC employees)

 What is the purpose of the bison hunt?  Fresh meat, hide and for pemmican (which would be sold to traders)  Also a sense of community, pride, discipline and identity

 What was the buffalo hunt like?  Whole family event, special horses (fast and guide by the riders knees)  Also dangerous – guns explode, horses trip & horns pierce

 Who is Thomas Douglas? (Lord Selkirk)  He cared about under-privileged and had $ to do something, worked for HBC  Why were Enclosures in Scotland an issue?  It forced renters off farm-land. Move to city and be factory worker or move to North America and farm

 Lord Selkirk had created small settlements but what was his plan now?  Who would benefit?  Large settlement that would be farmed and provide food for HBC. 300,000 square km  Good for both HBC and Scottish people

 What were Selkirk’s initial mistakes in choosing the land?  He was not concerned with climate, or people already in the region

 Why did the NWC and Métis join together, burn houses, trample crops and shoot guns in the night?  Settlers had to use Fort Pembina (NWC) to survive the 1st 2 winters nellissued a  With limited crops Macdonell issued a Pemmican Proclamation  (No sale and export of Pemmican  Which…….  Upset Métis who sell pem.  Macdonell ordered NWC to vacate post within 6 months

 What were the results of the first settlement?  Macdonell was arrested and many colonist forced to leave  Semple his replacement burned an empty NWC post, Métis saw this as an act of war  Métis seize pemmican from HBC  Métis felt they had right to land

 BATTLE OF SEVEN OAKS  Semple felt the Métis were inferior, so brute force was the only way to deal with them  Semple and 28 men vs. Métis  In 15 minutes, 20 men and Semple were killed only one Métis

 What was Lord Selkirk’s Response to Seven Oaks?  Selkirk hired 95 Swiss mercenaries to come with him an he joined up w/Macdonell  Took control of area again for the 3rd time  Signed treaty with Cree, Ojibwa  (100 lbs of Tobacco)

 Why? – Lawsuit over RRC would last 3 years – Resources depleting – Profits shrinking

 Called HBC  Increased land size and monopoly  NWC partners sold shares  More natives workers (Traders/trappers/translators/guides/map makers) Built/repaired and paddle canoes Sell pemmican

 What was George Simpson like?  Hands on approach  Go to posts without warning  Called ‘Little Emperor’ – yelled at them (small/controlling)  He was 40 and married 18 yr old  Rid of old wife and children (Métis)  New wife: Frances was racist & not social

 Was stable for 20 yrs (Métis, Country born, Scottish, Swiss, and HBC employees)  Who did what?  Europeans farmers (a lot for HBC)  Métis (Bison and Pemmican) main staple  Country Born white collar jobs (better than Métis) Clerks, teachers, store owners

 Changes by 1840  80% Métis/Country Born  Fur trade wanted free trade  Crime to sell furs  HBC monopoly (won trial)  But with no jail sentence, the Métis, they felt they won

 Women's work – with men  grain harvesting  process wool  then go home and cook bannock  children  small town  gossipy  Isolated & had to rely on each other

 What changes occur b/w ?  Population rise  HBC decline  Dominion of Canada  Canada West filled more of west  RR – Protestant ? (French and catholic) -view Métis as inferior

 John Schultz: ran newspaper and busines & hatred towards the Métis  $ decline crop failure, bison disappearing  HBC decline  Métis do not own land

 HBC sells Rupert's land to Canada ($/farmland/trade fur but no monopoly)  No concern for the RRS  Surveyors– not recognize strip farms (French style)  Do not recognize land claims since own by HBC, not Métis and other settlers

 What happened?  Angry with HBC, land speculators, & Gov.  Métis National Committee  Provisional Government Control Manitoba entering Confederation not McDouglas (lose all their rights) Capture Schultz and his men (Canadian party)  Macdonald: called them “half-breeds”

 Schultz escape but many of his men were caught again like Thomas Scott an extremist Abused his guards and threatened Riel  Thomas Scott seen as a Martyr  Military control Riel fled and was to keep away for five years  Métis given land but lose control of Gov.

 What changes occur b/w ?  Why does this affect the Métis?  Why was Rupert’s land sold?  Why was there a rebellion 1869?  What happened during the Rebellion?  Why was Scott still hurting the Métis after his death?  What was the result?