The+Northwest+from+1800+-+1860


 * What was the identity of the Metis**?
 * //How did the Metis culture reflect aspects of both French and Native cultures?//
 * //In what ways did the Metis incorporate French ways?//
 * //In what ways did the Metis incorporate Native ways?//
 * //How did others view the Metis and their culture?//
 * //What pressures influenced the culture of the Metis?//
 * //How did the formation of the Metis affect the fur trade?//

- metis (without a capital) is an old French term meaning "mixed" - Metis (with a capital) is as a term for all people of white-Native blood

- during the 17th century, French officials supported church-sanctified white-Native marriage in the hopes of converting more natives and increasing the population of New France - In the 186th century, with the increased availability of French wives in New France (filles du roi), policy shifted towards discouraging intermarriage
 * two cultures didn't assimilate/become "one people" - many Frenchmen attained "savage" was and offspring either remained with their mother's kin or were identified solely as French
 * official discouragement was one of the factors that caused the development of distinguished Metis communities
 * communities retained French Catholicism, but gained the freedom and opportunities of life in the native country (not constrained by state or church)
 * communities were often near trading posts (Frenchmen worked for posts or served as guides, interpreters, and voyageurs) and were sustained by smalls-scale agriculture

-Metis in the fur trade -Bison Hunt
 * as they were both French and Aboriginal, the Metis acted as the middlemen in the fur trade
 * spoke French and Algonkian or a dialect that combined the two languages
 * fur traders would marry daughters of native families in order to better cement trading loyalty
 * wives of fur traders generally enjoyed a higher standard of living
 * important event that involved the entire community
 * developed many rules that were strictly enforced by an elected captain of the hunt
 * supplied them with meat and clothing
 * brought a sense of community and pride

-aboriginals taught French explorers and fur traders to live in the woods. These French men eventually became known as c//oureurs des bois// (French for //runners of the woods).// -The Seven Oaks Incident -Red River Rebellion -Metis Today
 * taught to canoe, hunt, snowshoe
 * met Ojibwa, Assiniboine and Cree women and began to settle down to have families with them
 * Metis in the Red River Valley produced pemmican (paste of dried powdered bison meat and fat) for workers of the NWC to use on trading expeditions
 * HBC gave large peice of land to Lord Selkirk who brought many Scottish settlers to the area, many of whom worked for the HBC on area that was important to the NWC's trading route
 * 1816: HBC destroyed NWC trading post giving them control of the area and stopping the Metis's flow of pemmican
 * this lead to a gun fight where one metis, one HBC governer, and 20 Red River settlers were killed
 * Louis Riel: Metis leader
 * literate, well-educated lawyer, fluent in English and French
 * formed the National Metis Committee to fight about their rights regarding land
 * largest population is in Western Canada
 * Metis know recognized as one of the three Native groups in Canada
 * Metis National Committee of Canada looks after Metis affairs
 * Louis Riel viewed as a national hero and is recognized as the founder of Manitoba
 * mostly located in the prairie areas as well as British Columbia, Ontario, and the Northwest Territories

By answering these questions we hope to amend and contribute to the[| canadian history portion of Wikibooks]. The page of the Metis is lacking in information regarding their identity:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Canadian_History/The_People_of_the_Lands/Metis

Also, there is yet to be a page made for Louis Riel

http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=Canadian_History/Louis_Riel&action=edit&redlink=1

__Potential Resources:__

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9tis_people_%28Canada%29 -wikipedia

http://www.lac-bac.gc.ca/settlement/kids/021013-2081-e.html -kid's site

http://metisnationdatabase.ualberta.ca/MNC/ -Historical Database

http://www.metisnation.ca/ - National Metis Council

[] - Virtual museum of Metis history and culture

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=a1ARTA0006837 -Louis Riel in the Canadian Encycolpedia