Manitoba Métis

The Métis During the Fur Trade in the Northwest, both the French and the English intermarried with First Nations women. The French Métis worked for the North West Company (Montreal) as clerks, labourers and provisioners. The English Métis lived near and worked at Hudson`s Bay Company posts.

Manitoba Métis Unlike the Métis in New France, who tended to assimilate, both English and French Métis in the West developed their own distinct identities, based on history and culture. See map- the Manitoba Métis did not occupy a great deal of land.

Red River Settlement The first significant European colony in the West was the Red River Settlement (also known as Selkirk). It was founded by Thomas Douglas of Selkirk (who was a Scot) who established other settlements in eastern Canada. Selkirk bought land from the HBC in order to set up settlement of Scots at Red River (now Winnipeg) in Manitoba.

Red River Settlement Settlers began arriving in The settlement was supposed to act as a provisioning station (a place where necessary goods, especially food, can be obtained) for HBC trading posts in the Northwest. How would this impact the Métis people, who were already there?

Tension Building This created clashed with the NWC and with the First Nations and Métis in the area, who were provisioners to the traders, trappers and explorers. There were many armed conflicts between the Selkirk settlers and the Métis.

Annexing the West The government did little to encourage settlement in the west until the 1800s. The Red River Settlement was small, and the region was considered too remote and expensive to manage from the power centers in the East. However, American settlement was starting to threaten the western territories, especially after the first transcontinental railway was built in the United States.

A sudden interest from the British To deal with the threat from the Americans, the British government sent John Palliser to explore, map and report land in the West. He decided that it was unsuitable for settlement. Despite the report, Canada purchased Rupert`s Land from the HBC in January This territory stretched from Hudson`s Bay west to the Rockies.

Tension continuing to build The terms of Rupert`s Land purchase did not mention the rights of the First Nations and Métis who lived in the area. The Métis feared for their land, their culture and their rights. In August 1869, surveyors from Canada arrived in Red River... will be continued

Keep in Mind Colonization and endless conflict with the British. Americans were threatening to build a railway. British purchased Rupert's Land and Manitoba was included in the deal (Confederation) and MacDonald was discussing the Canadian Pacific Railway. Take a look at where the railway intersects.Take a look at where the railway intersects.