Identity
How does identity develop in a group of people?
Through shared experiences, relationships, and environments
What was Pemmican?
Dried bison, berries and fat mixed together to make a superfood
Why was Canada originally uninterested in settling Ruperts Land?
It was thought to be poor soil for farming
Name 2 problems that the Metis and First Nations faced in the 1870s and 1880s
Scrip did not work, buffalo were disappearing, treaties were unfair, people were starving, petitions to the government were unanswered, assimilation, the arrival of settlers, discrimination, the end of the fur trade...
What is identity?
The characteristics and values that a person or group uses to express themselves.
How did the Metis emerge as a unique identity?
Through relationships between First Nations and Courier de bois
Who was Lord Selkirk and what did he want to do?
A wealthy Scottish person who wanted to build a new colony (Assiniboia)
Why was Ruperts Land sold for so cheap in comparison to Alaska and Louisiana?
The British forced the HBC to sell it to Canada for cheap because they were worried about American expansion north
Why did Canada ignore the problems that Indigenous people were facing?
They were focused on building the Canadian Pacific Railway to expand to BC
What is assimilation?
A process where one culture is absorbed into another
Name 3 symbols of Metis identity.
The sash, Red River Carts, finger weaving, flower beadwork, york boats, jigging and fiddling...
What was the Pemmican Proclamation?
A ban on the export (sale) of Pemmican outside the Red River made by the Selkirks
Why did Louis Riel form a provisional government?
To negotiate a fair deal with the government to join Canada
Who were the big 3 Indigenous leaders of the Northwest Resistance?
Big Bear, Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont
What is treason?
The betrayal of one's country
Name 2 ways the Metis have contributed to the identity of Canada.
Manitoba Act, protection of French language, protection of Catholic faith, contributing to the fur trade, creation of settlements across Western Canada, development of police and military force, unique perspectives...
Why were the Metis not in trouble after the Battle of Seven Oaks?
Name two clauses that were included in the Manitoba Act
The Metis would receive large amounts of land, both French and English would be used in government, there would be both Catholic and Protestant school systems, Manitoba would have 4 MPs and 2 Senators, resources would be federally controlled...
Why was the Battle of Batoche so important?
If the Metis lost the battle, the resistance would be over and it would be the end of Indigenous military resistance
What is Scrip?
A system of "coupons" distributed by the Canadian government to the Métis that could be exchanged for land or money
How is Metis identity defined today? (3 ways)
Self-identification, lineage to Metis people and acceptance by the Metis community
Why was the Battle of Seven Oaks a nation defining moment?
It was the first time the Metis had collectively stood together to fight for a common interest
Name two ways in which the Scrip system did not work
Fraud, land given away was not farmable, very difficult process to attain, taking Scrip meant giving up your rights...
Why did John A Macdonald have such a hard time deciding Louis Riel's fate and what did he decide?
The elections were coming up and both Ontario and Quebec had opposing views of what should happen. He sided with Ontario and hanged Louis Riel.
What is a Provisional Government?
A temporary government