Louis Riel was a Métis who fought to protect Métis homeland after the Canadian government illegally purchased it from the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1869. Riel formed a provisional government for the purchased territory, a territory called Rupert’s Land, which consisted of 3.9 million square kilometers of land encompassing Manitoba and parts of Saskatchewan, Alberta, Quebec, Ontario, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. A coup was organized to overthrow the provisional government in 1870. Riel executed Thomas Scott, one of the organizers, and was forced to flee Canada after the execution inspired a wave of anti-Métis, anti-Catholic, and anti-French sentiments. Riel returned to Canada in 1885 to lead the North-West Rebellion, a battle between the Métis and the Canadian government. Canada defeated the Métis, and Prime Minister John A. Macdonald executed Riel for treason. Riel has since become a legendary figure in Canada.
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Louis Riel Character Timeline in The Inconvenient Indian
The timeline below shows where the character Louis Riel appears in The Inconvenient Indian. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1. Forget Columbus
Next, King describes the Métis leader Louis Riel’s role in the Rebellion of 1885, which receives considerably less attention than the Battle of...
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Louis Riel led the fight between the French and English for Métis land. He was involved in...
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...Saskatchewan, where they formed a settlement at Batoche, along the South Saskatchewan River. That year, Riel returned to Canada to lead the North-West Rebellion, during which the Métis fought against the...
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King considers Louis Riel, George Custer, and the others who died throughout the history of Indian-White relations in North...
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