Women Of The Fur Trade

Scene 1:

Background knowledge:

  • in 2006, Suri Cruise Shiloh Jolie-Pitt were born causing 2 factions to go to war, thus changing the landscape and contemporary culture forever

    • more modern than 1800’s

  • 1842 Thomas Scott was born

  • in 1844 Louis Riel followed

Setting:

  • starts somewhere dark

  • walls covered in portraits of all kinds of men

  • odd floor

Other:

  • 3 women sit in rocking chairs and play a game

  • Eugenia does not enjoy games.

  • a baby is introduced and turns out the baby is Lois Riel

  • game ended and a new game began

Scene 2:

Setting:

  • the year is 1800 something

  • takes place in a fort

  • somewhere upon the banks of a Reddish River in Treaty One territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

    • known as the Murder Capital of Canada

    • known as the most racist city in Canada

    • known a the Slurpee capital

Characters

    Cecelia:

  • more humorous

  • dependent on men

  • married

  • has a crush on Thomas Scott

    • describes Thomas Scott as having a “banging beach bod and a butterface” and as “dreamy and delightful”

    Eugenia:

  • more serious and smart

  • never gives standing ovations

  • busy

  • blows a kiss at a portrait of Gabriel Dumont

  • does not want them to sit in her chair

    Marie-Angelique:

  • enthusiastic

  • Metis

  • thinks Louis Riel is “model level hot” and smart

    • characterizes him as too focused on his work resulting in him being undernourished in a tortured artist way.

    • sees him as a nerd and thinks that is why he wears glasses

    Thomas Scott:

  • Irish

  • protestant

  • 28 years old

  • retains assets of his youthful pride such as silky, smooth, pale alabaster skin

  • long legs

  • not traditionally handsome

  • light brown hair parted slightly to the left

    

    Louis Riel:

  • Metis

  • disheveled

Scene 3:

Characters:

Marie-Angelique:

  • sits in Eugenias chair after being told not to

  • thinks Louis Riel is tall - around 6’3

    • an inspiring leader

    • charismatic

    • great at speeches

    • brave

    • courageous

    • always ready for battle

    • decisive

    • definitive

    • never yells

    • a hero

  • thinks Eugenia is lucky to be able to leave

  • dislikes her mother

  • does not support members of the Canadian party, Orangemen, and protestants (all people who want to kill them and take their land)

Cecelia:

  • white

  • thinks Thomas Scott is buff

    • confident

    • masculine

    • Doesn’t need anyone’s approval for anything

    • smart

    • wise

    • devout

    • esteemed

    • has seen the world and knows all its secrets

    • a hero

  • pregnant

    • name options are Victoria -like the queen- for a girl and Thomas after Thomas Scott for a boy

Cecelia’s husband:

  • met louis riel and did not think highly of him

  • friends with John A. Macdonald, prime minister of Canada- Marie Angelique says he’s hot and tiresome

Other

  • new game begins

  • c and ma promise to have each others backs.

Scene 4:

Characters:

Eugenia:

  • realistic

  • returns with furs

  • Ojibwe

  • efficient

  • was given an empty cup with no tea

  • thinks men are dangerous

  • trades with her friends

  • comes from a place where women were always in charge of fur trading and men cant be trusted with important jobs.

    • men are sent off to fish or go to war so they arent in the way and are brought when needed

  • believes women can do everything men can

  • thinks Louis Riel is overrated

    • says his face looks like a potato

    • dislikes his mustache with no beard

  • believes Franco-Ojibwe’s are completely different from Ojibwe people

    • reasons include the fact that she doesn’t speak French

  • enjoys being free

  • met Louis Riel before

    • thinks he is mediocre

Marie-Angelique:

  • always wanted to be part of a rebellion

  • believes confederation was a dumb idea

  • likes the portraits of men because she likes feeling watched

  • believes traitors deserve forgiveness (traitor in question is LR)

  • thinks her mother is a selfish miserable hag

  • “I am like the Scarlett O’Hara of the prairies”

  • had a childhood dream to marry a Metis man and keep her culture alive

    • according to C she actually liked white boys

      • MA says white boys are confident for no reason

  • cannot hunt, trap, or take care of herself. by marrying a man, she believes she shall be protected

  • was saving herself for Louis Riel

    • believes that Louis Riel matters because he is a man

Cecelia:

  • heard LR is pious and devout

    • believes he may be a traitor

  • believes women should fully submit to their husbands

Cecelia’s Husband:

  • no longer trades with women because he believes it is not natural for women to be off in the world working alongside men.

  • returning from an expedition with Louis Riel

other:

  • looking down of French is no longer fashionable.

  • seasons are shorter lately

  • a rebellion is imminent

  • Canada is intent on destroying indigenous way of life

  • other than E no women have left the room

  • MA offers to trade a valuable necklace to E in exchange for a hat and an introduction to Louis Riel

    • convinces her by bringing up how she has a family to feed

Scene 5:

Characters:

Cecelia:

  • sends a letter to her husband

    • claims to miss him and that she can not live without him

    • calls him honourable

    • asks him to get a job closer to home for the sake of their children

    • says she and her children love him and that they pray for his safe return

    • also prays for Thomas Scotts safe return

    • ends the letter by saying your obedient life, Cecelia

Cecelia’s Child

  • a daughter

  • curly blond hair

  • fair skin

Eugenia:

  • writing a letter to the prime minister

    • says she hates him

    • “It’s time to make way, times are changing”

    • calls him boring

    • calls herself a real leader

    • “the world is rearranging, it’s marching onward, and time moves on without those who refuse to evolve”

    • says a revolution is near

    • claims she will celebrate when he is gone

    • “‘you may take our land, you take our lives, but you will never take our freedom’”

    • threatens him and tells him to die

    • signs off as his mom

Marie-Angelique:

  • 22 years old

  • believes in astrology signs

  • writing a letter to Louis Riel

    • introduces herself

    • professes her undying love

    • says she is direct and assertive and that he will find her charming

    • says he has wonderful taste

    • proposes a meeting between them

    • says Eugenia thinks they would get along well

    • says her age and that they are fated to meet

    • she is awaiting his arrival and hopes to contribute to his noble cause

    • says some people may call him selfish but she values his devoted leadership.

    • calls him a Metis man of esteem and prestige

    • mentions being a Metis woman

    • signs off by saying goodbye and safe travels, Marie-Angelique! XoXo

Other:

  • the letters are sent

Scene 6:

Louis Riel:

  • “nice is a cowardly word, Thomas”

  • says “real men never stutter”

  • after being asked if he respects Thomas Scott, he responds “does the grey wolf respect the Connemara Pony?”

    • claims he is a grey wolf

      • highly revered and feared animal on the prairies

    • claims Thomas Scott is a mere Irish Pony

      • says he is natural prey to wolves like him

      • further insults him by saying he’s not even a horse but just a pony.

  • allows Thomas to read his letter

  • calls Eugenia a temptress, seductress, and a siren

  • does not believe in astrology signs

  • believes in fate

  • ignores going to Gettysburg to prioritize the Reddish River

    • plans to leave at dawn to chase his destiny

Thomas Scott:

  • belittles Louis Riel by saying “that’s nice”

  • sends a letter

  • starved for gratitude

  • confidence rose enormously when Louis Riel says thank you to him.

  • thinks Louis Riel does not respect him and requires additional context on the analogy.

    • responds to the mockery by saying wolves went extinct in Ireland

  • plans to go with Louis Riel to the Reddish River

  • writes a love letter of his own

Other:

  • the women sit in rocking chairs while the men’s chairs do not rock.

    • they do not look anything like their portraits

  • Louis Riel has Thomas Scott write his letters for him

Scene 7:

Setting:

  • back in the fort

Characters:

Cecelia:

Marie Angelique

Scene 8:

Scene 9:

Characters:

Marie Angelique

  • thinks Louis will set them free

  • desires freedom but thinks of Louis as her protector

  • thinks the idea of owning land is “wh*te”

  • Cecelia calls her racist

Eugenia:

  • stands with Louis Riel despite hating him

Cecelia:

  • concerned Marie does not care about her

    • Marie called her selfish

  • can’t go to a doctor because she is trapped in the fort

  • believes Louis will divide them

  • believes that politics is not the business of a women

Louis Riel:

  • was declared the leader if the provisional government

Other:

  • Ottawa sent a surveyor

  • William McDougall has been declared the first lieutenant governor of the territory

    • he is an expansionist

    • plans to marginalize the influence of the Metis and the natives to get what he wants

      • wants land and power

      • plans on killing the indigenous people

  • Marie Angelique and Eugenia rip and eat the portraits of males leaving only Louis Riel and Thomas Scott

    • they escaped through the window

Scene 10:

Thomas Scott:

  • puts his coat on Marie so she does not get cold

  • thinks it is good to have opinions

    • believes his opinions are not wise but necessary

Marie Angelique:

  • threatens Thomas Scott with a stick

  • takes Thomas to the fort

    • says she never felt at home there

  • was born in the woods and got sent away to learn to be a proper lady

    • says she is not a good one because she has too many opinions and cannot sew

  • tells Thomas Scott she hates him before she knows his name

    • stomps on his jacket

Louis Riel:

  • gets called a delusional coward by Thomas Scott

    • cant write a good poem

    • cant lead a rebellion

  • nothing like Marie imagined

  • tells Marie he believes in fate, the land, Metis people, and ger

  • believes that the only freedom that counts is the freedom you make yourself.

  • claims to be a prophet sent by God

Other:

  • Thomas Scott finds Marie Angelique outside the fort

    • wants to talk with her

  • a stick gun fight occurs

  • Louis Riel and Thomas Scott exit

  • there is a gunshot and scream

  • Marie returns through the window.

Scene 11:

Scene 12:

Scene 13: