Status
Call number
Call number
Collection
Local notes
Description
"Most writing on Metis history has tended to concentrate on the Resistance of 1869-70 and the Rebellion of 1885, without adequately explaining the social and economic origins of the Metis that shaped those conflicts. Historians have often emphasized the aboriginal aspect of the Metis heritage, stereotyping the Metis as a primitive people unable or unwilling to adjust to civilized life and capitalist society." "In this social and economic history of the Metis of the Red River Settlement, specifically the parishes of St Francois Xavier and St Andrew's, Gerhard Ens argues that the Metis participated with growing confidence in two worlds: one Indian and pre-capitalist, the other European and capitalist. Ens maintains that Metis identity was not defined by biology or blood but rather by the economic and social niche they carved out for themselves within the fur trade." "Ens finds that the Metis, rather than being overwhelmed, adapted quickly to the changed economic conditions of the 1840s and actually influenced the nature of change. The opening of new markets and the rise of the buffalo-robe trade fed a 'cottage industry' whose increasing importance had significant repercussions for the maintenance of ethnic boundaries, the nature of Metis response to the Riel Resistance, and the eventual decline of the Red River Settlement as a Metis homeland."--Jacket… (more)
Publication
User reviews
The Metis people of that time and place can be classified in terms of ethnicity (English/Anglican vs. French/Catholic), livelihood (buffalo hunting vs. farming), class (entrepreneur vs. laborer), geography (parish), etc. The main dividing line used in this book is ethnicity, largely because it correlates well with the parish division which is then connected to historical documents. The French Catholic of the St. Francis Xavier parish were more buffalo hunters while the English Anglican of the St. Andrews parish were more farmers. These correlations make it difficult to decide whether the lower migration rate from St. Andrews was due more to ethnicity or to livelihood. The author does a good job of bringing in auxiliary evidence to supplement his argument.
Around 1840, Metis people were dominant in the region which was to become Manitoba. By 1890, they were no longer a cultural force of significant impact. What happened? Did they just fail to adapt to modern ways? Was it racial policies of the federal government? This book argues that neither of these hypotheses fit the facts. Many Metis staked their future on the buffalo trade, which turned out to be a bad bet. The Metis did suffer from racist oppression, but much more that of the new settlers from the east than from the government.
For an ignoramus like myself to get that much out of a technical book like this, the author has to be quite skilled! I wanted to learn about these people and their time and place, and I learned a lot here! Success!