Louis Riel - "The Righteous Rebel"
(1844 - 1885)
by Ann Blewett
The foregoing prologue is a synopsis of a more comprehensive study of the life of Louis Riel, which I am currently writing to circulate amongst family and friends. The scope of that work is too lengthy to put on my website, hence the reason only this summary appears here.
I have always had an interest in Riel and feel a connection to him, likely due in no small part to the fact I grew up in St. Boniface, Manitoba where he was born and raised. Combining that with a keen love of history, especially the history of the city from which I originate, and watching a series of CBC programs on Riel in October of 2002, all served to reactivate my interest in the life and deeds of this man. The CBC programs outlined his life story, staged a re-trial, and held a forum in St. Boniface. Well over ninety percent of people polled said that Riel was innocent and that he shouldn't have been executed.
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about St. Boniface Cathedral |
Louis Riel is buried in the grounds of St. Boniface Cathedral in Winnipeg, his resting place situated in the shadow of the magnificent Basilica that shaped him, symbolizing the deep and intense influence of the Roman Catholic faith on his impressionable psyche. The Basilica is located on the east bank of the Red River with the modern-day skyline of the bustling city of Winnipeg visible on the west bank. In Riel's day Winnipeg was a fledgling town on the barren frontier, a rag tag collection of small buildings and messy mud streets. He would be gratified to see how far his city and province has advanced in over a century of history.
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- Louis Riel |
I remember the material we learned at school regarding Riel was very sketchy and biased. I knew there had to be a great deal more to his life story - and many years later, I now realize this to be the case. Riel was a very fascinating and complicated man - his life story a blending of controversy and contradiction. His was a life journey composed of the pinnacles of lofty ambition and remarkable accomplishments as well as its full share of tragedy, anguish, and unfulfilled dreams.
I recall visiting his grave as a child and even at that young age I stopped to really ponder the man who lay beneath the imposing brown granite headstone.
The
province of Manitoba greatly honours his memory as he was responsible for
bringing that province into Confederation in 1870. There is a hotel complex
in downtown Winnipeg called "Place Louis Riel", and Riel
Avenue is located in St. Vital, a suburb of Winnipeg. A statue of Riel stands
in front of the Manitoba Legislative Buildings overlooking the Assiniboine
River.
On a personal note, two of the schools I attended during the 1950's and 1960's, (Archwood and Nelson McIntyre Collegiate), were part of the former St. Boniface School District. In 2002, the St. Boniface School District and the St. Vital School District amalgamated to form the Louis Riel School Division.
On a future visit to Winnipeg we hope to visit Riel's grave and Riel House,
where his body lay in state after it was transported from the scene of his
execution before burial in the grounds of St. Boniface Cathedral. Hundreds
of grieving Métis filed through this house to pay their respects to
their fallen hero. 
Riel's
children were raised here by their grandmother and aunt, and it is also here
his young wife, Marguerite, died at the age of twenty-five in the spring of
1886, her spirit broken by her frail health and the execution of her much-loved
husband.
This picture shows Marguerite Monet dit Bellehumeur, Riel's wife. She was a very pretty and petite Métisse; half French and half Cree Indian. Riel met her while he was in exile in Montana. They were married in 1881 when she was twenty and he was thirty-six. From all accounts, this quiet and submissive young woman worshipped and adored her husband, and was completely devoted to him and his cause, accepting his decisions and actions without question.
This charming picture depicts Jean-Louis and Marie-Angélique, their children. One can discern in this lovely boy and girl a strong resemblance to both their mother and father.
The
picture of the children was taken after 1886 after the deaths of both their
parents. Angélique died of diphtheria in 1897 at the age of fourteen.
Jean died in 1908 at the age of twenty-six, the victim of a buggy accident.
Therefore, there are no direct descendants of Louis Riel. Those that are descended
from the Riel family of the nineteenth century trace their family lineage
from Riel's siblings.
The story of Louis Riel is not only the tale of a great leader, rebel, and mythical icon, but also a tale of the whole gamut of human emotions, family love, and the strengths and weaknesses of one man and how he was influenced by his environment and the era in which he lived.
Canadian history is still trying to come to terms with Riel, because the issues he clashed over with the government of Sir John A. Macdonald at that time still surround us to this day. His dream of equality between the races is still far from reality. All historians know better than anyone that history is the greatest of all fictions.
For those interested in further pursuing the saga of Louis Riel, I can highly
recommend the following books:
"Riel, A Life of Revolution", by Maggie Siggins (published 1994)
"Louis Riel", by George Stanley (published 1963)
"Riel vs. Canada, The Making of a Rebel", by Jack Bumsted (published 2001)
All three authors are impartial and sympathetic to Riel and provide an excellent account of the political atmosphere of nineteenth century Manitoba and Saskatchewan and the ultimate ramifications of his legacy as far as the history and development of Western Canada is concerned.
Continue to .....
> The Righteous Rebel Prologue
> Riel, A Summary of His Life
>The Stone Circle
