Ralph grew up near Prince Albert SK. In the 1970s we went to Batoche National Historic Site, which lies between Prince Albert and Saskatoon. At that time we were more interested in the present than the past, little understanding how much the past affects the future.
In the late 1800s, as Western Canada was being surveyed in preparation for settlement, the Metis people were gravely concerned about retaining their land and culture and their survival as a people. The Metis began petitioning for rights to their land and a voice in the affairs of their land. The government of Canada was apparently indifferent to the problems of the original people of Canada.
By the 1880s the Batoche area was home to 1,200 settlers, the majority of which were Metis. There were approximately 50 family river lots along the South Saskatchewan River. In 1878 surveyors began re-defining historical river lot land claims as the economy of the early west changed.
In 1884 Louis Riel was brought back from exile in Montana. He proclaimed a Provisional Government which the Canadian government viewed as a revolt.
In 1885, over the span of a few days, 300 Metis and Indians led by Gabriel Dumont fought a force of 800 men of the North West Field Force.
The first military engagement was won by the Metis but after four days the Resistance was defeated.
The events of 1885 altered countless lives. At Batoche people lost relatives during the battle or afterwards due to illness. Homes were burnt, livestock and possessions were taken. Members of the Provisional Government were imprisoned or forced into exile. Louis Riel was tried for treason and hanged. Gabriel Dumont fled to the United States.
Batoche National Historic Site portrays the life of the people of Batoche in 1885. With the near extinction of the buffalo and the decline of the fur trade the Metis had settled into farming and village life.
The Roman Catholic Church and Rectory are a reminder of the community that once thrived on the site.
The Church is beautifully maintained.
Costumed guides tell the Rectory's history as church, house, school, post office and museum.
Bullet holes in the Rectory attest to the Metis battle for their homes and way of life.
Rifle pits surrounded the village in a wide interconnected semi-circle.
The pits were in the trees and bush which provided excellent cover.
Saint Antoine-de-Padoue RC Cemetery is the final resting place for many of the Metis and First Nations people who died defending their established homes and lifestyle.
The Mass Grave contains the graves of nine Metis resistance fighters killed on the last day of the Battle of Batoche (May 12, 1885).
The grave of Gabriel Dumont overlooks the land around the South Saskatchewan River where he led the Resistance.
The cemetery reflects the story of the people who have lived and died in the Batoche area and continues today with recent graves.
The drama of 1885 was not a conflict between old ways and new, or “primitive” and “advanced” cultures. It was a demand for full and equal participation within a new nation.
That struggle continues to this day.
There is a statue to Louis Riel in Winnipeg on the grounds of the Legislature.
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