![](\"http:\/\/s265039441.onlinehome.us\/philpaine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/reading-2008-june-gabriel-dumont.jpg\" "\\"reading")
<\/a>Gabriel Dumon\u00adt\u2019s role in the North\u00adwest Rebel\u00adlion of 1885 is well known to M\u00e9tis Cana\u00addi\u00adans, and many peo\u00adple in our three prairie provinces, but oth\u00ader\u00adwise he is over\u00adshad\u00adowed by the more roman\u00adtic fig\u00adure of Louis Riel. Riel, after all, had reli\u00adgious visions, under\u00adwent mar\u00adtyr\u00addom, and left a writ\u00adten lega\u00adcy. His insta\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty is the stuff that attracts atten\u00adtion, and he\u2019s the one that\u2019s been treat\u00aded in nov\u00adels, plays, movies, songs, and even an opera. But in many ways, Dumont is a more inter\u00adest\u00ading man, and deserves more respect than the dubi\u00adous\u00adly sane Riel. George Wood\u00adcock, in this short biog\u00adra\u00adphy, empha\u00adsizes how much Dumont exem\u00adpli\u00adfied the most admirable aspects of M\u00e9tis soci\u00adety.<\/span><\/span>I should make the back\u00adground clear for non-Cana\u00addi\u00adans, who know lit\u00adtle of our his\u00adto\u00adry. Dur\u00ading the course of the 18th cen\u00adtu\u00adry, a new cul\u00adture appeared in the Cana\u00addi\u00adan west, which fused Euro\u00adpean and Native Cana\u00addi\u00adan ele\u00adments into some\u00adthing more than just a half-way sta\u00adtus between the two. M\u00e9tis soci\u00adety was mul\u00adti-lin\u00adgual, though French was its most com\u00admon\u00adly used lan\u00adguage. Native Cana\u00addi\u00adan lan\u00adguages (pre\u00addom\u00adi\u00adnant\u00adly Cree) were also used by them, as well as Gael\u00adic, Eng\u00adlish, and two new lan\u00adguages, Michif and Bungee, which com\u00adbined all of these ele\u00adments [see my dis\u00adcus\u00adsion of this a review of <\/span><\/span>Li Paviy\u00f3\u00f1 di Michif<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>]. Begin\u00adning as traders and guides employed by the North West Com\u00adpa\u00adny and the Hud\u00adson\u2019s Bay Com\u00adpa\u00adny, they fanned out into a huge area of the west\u00adern forests, park\u00adlands, prairies, and moun\u00adtains. When they out\u00adgrew and out-pop\u00adu\u00adlat\u00aded the dwin\u00addling fur trade, they hunt\u00aded buf\u00adfa\u00adlo on the plains. Grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly, dur\u00ading the course of the 19th cen\u00adtu\u00adry, they turned to farm\u00ading, the run\u00adning of cart car\u00ada\u00advans for bulk trans\u00adport, inn-keep\u00ading, and store-keep\u00ading. While the M\u00e9tis occa\u00adsion\u00adal\u00adly skir\u00admished with Sioux and Black\u00adfoot war par\u00adties, they gen\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly employed their gift for self-gov\u00adern\u00adment and diplo\u00adma\u00adcy, com\u00adbined with remark\u00adable mil\u00adi\u00adtary skills, to keep the peace on the plains \u2014 a fac\u00adtor ignored by most Cana\u00addi\u00adan historians.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nAs the prairies came under the nom\u00adi\u00adnal author\u00adi\u00adty of Cana\u00adda, and set\u00adtlers from the east began to arrive, the M\u00e9tis at first tried to get Cana\u00adda to per\u00adform the nec\u00ades\u00adsary func\u00adtions of gov\u00adern\u00adment. When this met with lit\u00adtle action, they sim\u00adply expand\u00aded their tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal forms of demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic self-rule to fit the need. Lat\u00ader, when it could see prof\u00adits in the West, the Fed\u00ader\u00adal Gov\u00adern\u00adment pro\u00adceed\u00aded to ride roughshod over the M\u00e9tis, ignor\u00ading their prop\u00ader\u00adty rights and order\u00adly civ\u00adil gov\u00adern\u00adment, and treat\u00ading them as if they did\u00adn\u2019t exist. Lands that had been pio\u00adneered and farmed were sim\u00adply seized and hand\u00aded over to the rail\u00adroad and to east\u00adern spec\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion com\u00adpa\u00adnies. A long series of such out\u00adrages cul\u00admi\u00adnat\u00aded in the Red Riv\u00ader Rebel\u00adlion of 1869\u201370, led by Riel. Riel\u2019s elect\u00aded Pro\u00advi\u00adsion\u00adal Gov\u00adern\u00adment nego\u00adti\u00adat\u00aded with Cana\u00adda to cre\u00adate the new province of Man\u00adi\u00adto\u00adba, but Riel him\u00adself went into exile. By 1884, the same prob\u00adlems came to a head fur\u00adther west, in what is now Saskatchewan. There, the pre\u00addom\u00adi\u00adnant\u00adly M\u00e9tis com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty had formed a well-func\u00adtion\u00ading gov\u00adern\u00adment, with Dumont as Pres\u00adi\u00addent. Long the leader and the orga\u00adniz\u00ader of the buf\u00adfa\u00adlo hunts, he had a nat\u00adur\u00adal tal\u00adent for pol\u00adi\u00adtics, but, unlike the reli\u00adgious\u00adly edu\u00adcat\u00aded Riel, he remained illiterate.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Wood\u00adcock describes the orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion of one of the great buf\u00adfa\u00adlo hunts of Dumon\u00adt\u2019s youth. 1,630 men, women and chil\u00addren par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpat\u00aded, mov\u00ading across the plains on horse\u00adback, accom\u00adpa\u00adnied by 1,210 bul\u00adlock carts, nec\u00ades\u00adsary to car\u00adry the processed buf\u00adfa\u00adlo meat. They were most\u00adly M\u00e9tis, but non-M\u00e9tis of any ori\u00adgin were wel\u00adcome to par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpate if they had the incli\u00adna\u00adtion and the skill. By tra\u00addi\u00adtion, a coun\u00adcil of ten chiefs of the hunt were elect\u00aded, among whom one was cho\u00adsen as pri\u00admum inter pares<\/em>. Each of these chose ten deputies. When the expe\u00addi\u00adtion was not in motion, that is, when it was camped at any place on the jour\u00adney, or dur\u00ading the hunt itself, these exer\u00adcised the nec\u00ades\u00adsary plan\u00adning and author\u00adi\u00adty. While they were in motion, how\u00adev\u00ader, their author\u00adi\u00adty gave way to the Guides. The ten guides worked on a rota\u00adtion\u00adal basis. The rais\u00ading of the M\u00e9tis flag sig\u00adnal the tran\u00adsi\u00adtion from the Camp author\u00adi\u00adty to the Guide\u2019s author\u00adi\u00adty, and each guide direct\u00aded the expe\u00addi\u00adtion\u2019s trav\u00adel for one day, when the flag descend\u00aded. The next day, anoth\u00ader of the ten ful\u00adfilled the same role. It was this kind of sophis\u00adti\u00adcat\u00aded demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic expe\u00adri\u00adence that the M\u00e9tis brought to their own self-gov\u00adern\u00adment when they set\u00adtled down to farm, that they expect\u00aded from the Cana\u00addi\u00adan gov\u00adern\u00adment when it claimed juris\u00addic\u00adtion over them, and which they employed in their two pro\u00advi\u00adsion\u00adal gov\u00adern\u00adments when they rebelled against Canada.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n