Chapter 4: The Northwest to 1870
Northwest in 1800
Hudson’s Bay Company founded 1670
- Controlled all of Rupert’s Land
- Built trading posts on the rivers and Native trappers had to come to them
- Shipped and received goods from Hudson’s Bay in the summer (very short window)
- Had a strict price structure
North West Company founded in 1783
- Competitor to HBC
- Had more inland posts that were easier for Native trappers to get to
- Shipped out of Fort William to Montreal
- Were willing to bargain more
Native Fur Trade
- 3 main groups were: Cree, Ojibwa, Chipewyan
- Pressure for furs caused many to abandon traditional seasonal work patterns
- Caused a clash of cultural values
- Came into contact with Measles and smallpox which were deadly to Native groups as they had no immunity
The Northwest 1800 – 1860
- Intense competition for furs led to depletion of fur resources
The Metis
- People who are half French (Fur traders) and half Native (women)
- Encouraged by the NWC and Native groups but forbidden by HBC
- Weddings were important social events
- By the early 1800’s the Metis population increased dramatically and a new culture had evolved. These people thought of themselves as a distinct cultural group
- Most Metis spoke French and Algonkian and were Roman Catholic
- By 1810 there was a large community living in the Red River Valley
- They built farms in a Seigneurial pattern
- Also hunted Bison. It was a huge event that involved the whole community
- It was very dangerous
- Provided: Fresh meat, Bison hides, meat and fat for pemmican
- Also helped foster a very strong sense of community
- Read and make notes pages 143-146
Colony on the Red River
- Lord Selkirk, who was a director of the HBC, wanted to find a solution to help poor Scottish farmers (crofters) displaced due to Enclosure
- He established settlements in the colonies for them
- He wanted to build a settlement in the fertile Red River Valley which could help the farmers and provide cheap food for HBC employees
- He was given the “Selkirk Grant” 300 000 square Km in southern Manitoba/North Dakota without any consideration of people already living there
- Miles Macdonell was made leader of the settlers
- He Underestimated the task of setting up the colony. It was harsh climate and the Metis were not happy with their new neighbours
- Attempts to settle in 1812 and 1813 failed
- 1814 they settle and the Pemmican proclamation is issued which bans sale of pemmican to the NWC
- This upset the NWC and the Metis
- The Metis and NWC led by Duncan Cameron convinced the settlers to leave and took MacDonell prisoner
- The settlers return with Governor Robert Semple in charge who attacked the NWC Fort Gibraltar signaling war
- In 1816 The Metis led by Cuthbert Grant raided HBC boats taking Pemmican
- They attack the Red River Colony killing Semple, now known as the “Battle of Seven Oaks”. This set the stage for full scale confrontation
- 1816 Selkirk, who was on his way to visit the colony, took control of the NWC’s Fort William as well as military control of the Red River Valley capturing Grant
- 1817 Selkirk made a treaty with the Cree and Ojibwa nations for land around the Red river and the Assiniboine river and the colonists settled once more
- He returned to England but was sued by the NWC
HBC, NWC Merger
- By 1821 due to depletion of resources and shrinking profits the 2 companies merged.
- NWC controlled 55%, HBC 45%
- This extended the control of the company to over half of modern day Canada
- The shipping route of the NWC (through Fort William) was rarely used
- By 1825 the NWC had sold its share back to the HBC
- Native people played a large role in the company both as trappers and in the trading posts as the company downsized its employees
- 1821 George Simpson is appointed Governor of the HBC, until 1832
Cuthbert Grant
- Leader of the Metis for first half of 1800’s until 1849
- Instrumental in Metis resistance to settlement
- Became “Warden of the Plains” for the HBC company
- Roles: Captain of the Hunt, doctor, sheriff, military leader
The Red River Settlement, 1821-1860
- Peaceful period with very little contact with the outside world
- By 1860, 80% mixed population were self-sufficient
- Primarily a farming community built around the HBC
- 1849 four Metis trappers are charged with illegally trading furs
- They were found guilty yet given no sentence. Essentially they got away with it. This broke the HBC monopoly on fur trading
- People survived on a simple steady diet of mostly pemmican and bannock
- It was a small town mentality and gossip was rampant
The Red River Rebellion
- The settlers were angry about the process of the sale of Ruperts land and started to confront the surveyors
- Riel formed the Metis National Committee
- The metis greeted the new governor of the North-west territories, William McDougall by seizing Fort Garry
- Riel didn’t want to rebel against Canada. He was protecting the Metis rights and traditions as the area became part of Canada
- Riel set up a provisional government and began negotiating for the creation of Manitoba
- They drew up a list of rights not only for the Metis but for all the settlers of the area
- Riel was worried about attack from Shultz’s Canadian Party so he arrested them
- Riel tried to negotiate with the Canadian government but they refuse to recognize his provisional government.
- The provisional government executed Thomas Scott a member of the Canadian Party
- Delegates went to Ottawa with a proposal for the creation of Manitoba
- Shultz went there as well and called for the execution of Riel for murdering the martyr Thomas Scott
- The proposal for Manitoba was accepted and the Metis were given 200,000 hectares of land
- The provisional government was not recognized and Macdonald sent troops to keep order and arrest Riel
- Riel fled to the USA where he lived for 15 years
CHAPTER 5
The Metis Flee Westward page 170
- The Manitoba Act (creation of the province) seemed to be good for the Metis as they got land and cultural protection
- In reality the Metis were brutalized and many were forced or tricked into giving up their land for much less than it was worth to land speculators. They didn’t understand the value of money
- As a result many Metis moved west into the prairies
- At first things worked well but soon the bison herds started to disappear
- In response the Metis wrote the “Laws of St. Laurent” to help conserve the bison and restrict the hunt
- Chief Factor for the HBC and area Magistrate Lawrence Clarke was anti-Metis and worked to lower their standard of living by paying them as little as possible
- By 1875 the Bison were all but extinct. Desperate for food a group of Metis went against the laws of St Laurent and began hunting early.
- They were arrested by Dumont, the head of the Metis
- They appealed to Clarke who in turn arrested Dumont
- This effectively ended the Metis ability to regulate the bison hunt and conserve their livelihood
First Nations Peoples in the Northwest
- During the 1870’s control of the Northwest was gradually shifting from the HBC to the Canadian government
- American trading companies were trading potent alcohol, known as “Firewater” by the natives and “Moonshine” by others, in the area which is now southern Alberta. This led to huge problems in the native communities
- 1873 the Canadian government established the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) who began to drive out the whiskey traders
- In the 1870’s the Canadian government started to “negotiate” treaties with the natives in the northwest in order to open the area for European settlers.
- The native groups were desperate for something as their traditional ways of life were not possible. They were forced to give up much more land than they wanted to in exchange for farming equipment and help setting up farms.
- In 1876 the Indian Act passed which forces Natives to live on reserves and send their children to Residential schools
- This lead to the almost complete destruction of native cultures and created problems that are still unresolved today
The National Dream
- In 1871 B.C. enters confederation and is promised a railway connecting it with the rest of Canada
- Macdonald knew that a transportation and communication network linking all parts of Canada was crucial or it may be taken over by the US
- Macdonald got backing (Money), he turned to Hugh Allan a Canadian industrialist who was really backed by American money
- In 1872 Macdonald called the first election in Canadian History and got campaign contributions from Allan in return for guaranteed railway contracts. This is not legal
- Macdonald won the election but the “Pacific Scandal” caused him to resign in 1873
- Alexander Mackenzie (Canada’s 2nd PM) came to power and did not believe in the railway project and so construction stopped
- B.C. became upset and threatened to secede (become part of the US)
- In 1876 Macdonald develops the “National Policy” as a way to win the upcoming election and make Canada a strong country
The National Policy
1. A system of Protective Tariffs
-The government devised a system of tariffs on American products so that they were more expensive than Canadian products thus protecting the Canadian manufacturing, mining and agriculture industries
2. Western Settlement
- They wanted farmers in the west to produce grain crops for
export.
- They discouraged development of manufacturing in the west so
that western settlers would buy products made in Eastern
Canada
3. The CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway)
- This was of course necessary for western settlement and to
export goods produced there. Also important for defense.
- Also the railway to Vancouver could open up trade markets to
Asia
The Northwest Rebellion of 1885
- By the 1880’s the Metis were frustrated with lack of cooperation from the government
They wanted:
- Title to the land they were occupying
- Assistance in setting up successful farms
- The government knew most of the land in the area was owned by land speculators who were waiting to sell it to settlers and give part of the profits to the government.
- The government needed this money to finance the CPR so they couldn’t afford to let the Metis stay there
- The CPR expenses meant the government didn’t help the Natives set up farms either. This meant they relied on the government for food handouts. The government used this to control the Native populations by not giving them food if they caused trouble
- The return of Riel in 1884 signaled to the government that there was going to be trouble
- Riel and a European farmer draw up a Metis Bill of Rights hoping to create a new province. It is ignored by the government
- This document was similar to the Declaration of Independence from the USA
- Macdonald saw this potential uprising as a way to justify spending money on the railway because troops would have to be moved quickly
Battles:
- Duck Lake - The metis won and the NWMP retreated
- Fish Creek – Less than 60 Metis hold off 1600 militia for up to 2 weeks
- Batoche (Capital of Metis) – 175 Metis last 3 days against over 725 Militia
- Riel was captured
- Dumont escaped to the USA
- Other Native leaders were found and captured but given small sentences because the government thought Riel had influenced them and was really to blame
- Riel was charged with High Treason and tried before a judge who was a strong Conservative supporter and a jury made up of six English Protestants
- Riel knew he was going to be found guilty but gave a strong statement in trial blaming the government for the rebellion and its treatment of the people of the Northwest.
- Riel was found guilty. The judge and jury asked for clemency but the government refused because they wanted to make an example of him.
- He was hanged in November 1885