The Northwest

Fill in the Blanks

Name: ________________
The Metis

In the late 1700s French fur traders would stay in the winter camps with local groups of
indigenous people. ___________between French men and indigenous women was
encouraged by the North West Company and by the aboriginal populations.
By the early 1800s _____________ of fur traders had married indigenous women and
began having children.
These children were of mixed indigenous and ________descent.
The people of mixed descent began to marry among themselves, and accounted for a large
proportion of the population in the Northwest.
As they began to marry among themselves, a ___________ culture emerged.
By 1810, they considered themselves a distinct _________ group, using the word Metis to
describe themselves.
While there were people of mixed ancestry that were not French (Scottish and British), these
people were not considered Metis and did not account for such a sizable amount of the
population.
The Metis blended the cultural traditions of both French and indigenous prairie people.
They often spoke __________and French. Many Metis were Roman ____________.
The Metis settled in the Red River Valley, in a __________pattern.
In early summer and fall, the Metis participated in the_________ _______, collecting hides,
meat and fat to sustain themselves for the winter.
The Metis population in Canada celebrates their distinct cultural heritage with pride.
They fly a flag symbolizing the ____________ of the culture.
The Red River Jig combines the intricate footwork of Native dancing with the fiddle
accompaniment of __________________ music.
__________ is the unique language spoken by some Metis people in Ontario.
Ruperts Land
The Red River Settlement was by all accounts a____________, ____________and
_______________ community for the better part of 40 years.
The Red River Settlement included Metis, ____________(people of mixed Scottish or
British and Native descent), HBC traders and indigenous people.
The law was upheld by the HBC, which held a monopoly on all trade in the area.
Migration to Ruperts Land.
By 1860, people from Upper Canada began migrating to the Northwest in search of better
farm land. Many of these newcomers were _____________ and violently against the
Catholic, French-speaking Metis.
Many Canadian _______________had ambitions of acquiring Ruperts Land from the
HBC, in order to create a sea-to-sea _____________of Canada.
The fur trade that supported the HBC was rapidly _____________ and the HBC was eager
to get rid of the land.
Sale of Ruperts Land to Canada.
In 1869, the government of Canada acquired control of Ruperts Land, with little
__________________ of the people who lived there.
The people of Ruperts Land, especially the Red River Settlement, were not consulted about
joining Canada and were concerned about what it meant for their ______ _____ _______.
Land surveyors had arrived in 1868, laying out grids for the new _________________ to be
built. This disrupted the ______________. System that had been established, and the Metis
were sure that further changes would also come.
William McDougall was appointed the __________ of the new North-West Territory.
Louis Riel.
Louis Riel was an educated, _______-________leader of the Metis people. He became
instrumental in the Metis uprisings.
He was born in 1844 in the Red River Settlement, but went to Montreal for law school. In
1869 he returned to Red River after hearing about the _____________of Ruperts Land. He
soon became the leader of the Metis.
Red River Rebellion
In 1868, land surveyors had come to Red River to plot out new __________townships,
which would not fit the Metis way of life. Land __________ also arrived, causing the
inhabitants to suspect the Canadian government was trying to take their land away.
Louis Riel formed the Metis National Committee to fight for land rights. When the new
governor William McDougall, arrived, the ________ __________ ________ told him to go
back to Ottawa, because they intended to govern themselves.
Riel and the Metis National Committee wanted to ensure that Canadian ___________over
the ______________ would not impede on the rights and culture of the Metis. They feared
that McDougall would give Canadians all of the power and the Metis would be ________
and lose their rights.
The Metis National Committee established a List of Rights, which included their own
_____________. Louis Riel intended to establish a provisional government, to
___________ __________ and ___________ the territory entering confederation as
Manitoba. The government was to be made up of half English and half French-speaking
people.
Several Metis occupied Fort Garry, an HBC trading post. They stole their weapons, and this
was considered a declaration of rebellion.
Thomas Scott
Several members of the Canadian Party were held at Fort Garry, including a man named
Thomas Scott. He was _________ and extremely ________ towards the Metis. In March,
Louis Riel ordered him to be ______________by firing squad.
Scott was held up as a __________, and his execution was deemed unjust by opponents of
the Metis.
Manitoba Joins Confederation
On May 2 1870, Manitoba joined confederation. The power would be ________________
from Riels provisional government to a new ___________ government. A force of 1200
armed Canadian soldiers were sent to Manitoba to oversee the transfer. Riel fled to the
United States.
John A. MacDonald
John A. MacDonald was the _______ Prime Minister of Canada. He pushed extremely hard
for the joining of the provinces and was ________ in the success and expansion of the
Dominion of Canada. He forcefully pushed for a strong federal __________ that would
hold power over the provinces.
He is remembered as a nation-builder, and his legacy is about his success at having several
provinces join Canadian confederation. He was, however, strongly against First Nations
people, including the Metis.