Riel

Riel, Louis (October 22, 1844 – November 16, 1885) was a Canadian Métis political and religious leader who organized resistance to the encroachments of Canadian authority in the Red River Colony and the Northwest. Born in the Red River Settlement (present-day Manitoba) to Louis Riel Sr. and Julie Lagimodière, he was educated in Catholic schools and became fluent in Michif, English, and French. In 1869, as Canada prepared to annex Rupert’s Land, Riel emerged as the leader of the Métis and the settlement’s concerns about land rights, education, and language rights. He helped establish the Provisional Government of Manitoba and negotiated with Ottawa, leading to the Manitoba Act (1870), which created the province of Manitoba and, in Canadian terms, recognized Métis rights.

After the Red River Rebellion, he fled to the United States, returning briefly to Manitoba in the early 1870s; he remained a controversial figure and a symbol of Métis identity. In 1884–85, during the Northwest Rebellion, Riel again led Métis and Indigenous forces in the Saskatchewan District. Following defeat at Batoche, he was captured and brought to trial in Regina for treason. He was executed by firing squad on November 16, 1885, in Regina.

Riel’s legacy is complex: many Métis and Indigenous people regard him as a champion of Métis rights and cultural preservation, while others view his actions as rebellion against the Canadian state. His life has influenced Canadian literature, politics, and collective memory, and he remains a controversial and enduring symbol of Indigenous and minority rights in Canada.