The Red River Valley and the Northwest Rebellion Practice Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the key individuals, groups, laws, and conflicts concerning the Northwest Rebellion and the Métis settlements.

Louis Riel

The Métis leader who established a Provisional Government in $1869$ and led the Northwest Rebellion in $1885$ after returning from exile.

Orange Order

A powerful anti-French, anti-Catholic, and anti-Métis group of Protestants and Christians that included many Canadian politicians.

Pemmican

A mixture of dried meat and fat that was a central part of Métis culture and an important source of income.

Pemmican Proclamation

An $1814$ decree that disrupted the trade of pemmican and was seen as an attempt to push North West Company (NWC) fur traders out of the area.

Battle of Seven Oaks

An $1816$ conflict where the Métis gained a sense of shared identity in fighting a common foe.

Provisional Government

A temporary government formed by Louis Riel and the Métis in $1869$ to negotiate a settlement with the Canadian government over control of Manitoba.

Thomas Scott

An Orange Order prisoner executed by the Métis in $1870$, leading to widespread outrage in Ontario and the end of the immediate threat of war.

Scrip

A piece of paper or money used to certify possession of land in the Red River area.

Land Speculation

A practice where investors bought land to sell at a profit, which made it difficult for the Métis to keep their land and forced many to move North and West.

Laws of St. Laurent

Strict prairie laws based on the traditions of the bison hunt, created to ensure the survival of the Métis community.

Lawrence Clarke

The HBC factor at Fort Carlton who treated the Métis poorly, spread false rumors, and misinformed Louis Riel that the government was sending $500$ NWMP to arrest him.

North West Mounted Police (NWMP)

A police and paramilitary force created in $1873$ to maintain order in the North-West and stop the territory from being lost to American interests.

Firewater

A cheap, dangerous liquor traded by American fur traders that caused malnutrition, disease, and social instability among Indigenous populations.

Indian Act of 1876

A paternalistic law designed to assimilate First Nations people by making them wards of the state, with the Canadian government making decisions on their behalf.

Numbered Treaties

A series of $11$ agreements signed between $1871$ and $1877$ where First Nations shared land with the government to allow for European settlement.

Gabriel Dumont

The military leader of the Métis and captain of the bison hunt who invited Louis Riel back to Canada in $1884$ to lead the resistance.

Michif

The unique language of the Métis that combined French with Cree, Nakoda, Saulteaux, and Anishinaabe.

Bungee

 The language used by Métis people who had English or Scottish ancestry.

Road allowance people

A derisive term for Métis families who, after losing their land claims, were forced to squat on unoccupied public land reserved for road building.

Treason

The crime for which Louis Riel was found guilty and hanged in Regina on November $16, 1885$.

Batoche

The site of the final battle of the Northwest Rebellion in May $1885$, where Canadian troops used a Gatling gun to overcome the Métis forces.