Born on the Seine River (a tributary of the Red River) Louis "David" Riel: history-maker and eloquent leader of the Metis people, fought with words, prayers and total conviction in the cause of the his people and for the rights of all Western Canadians. The man known as Louis Riel, is controversial to say the least. His role in leading the Metis Nation plays a huge role in the history of Canada. Who was this man!

Riel was the first child of Louis Riel and Julie Lagimodiere. The eldest of eleven children, Riel was born on October 22, 1844 in a log cabin (built by his father) by a gristmill in St. Boniface. Riel Sr. believed in free trade and justice, passing these attributes down to his son. Riel Sr. helped to break the Hudson's Bay trade monopoly through an organized resistance. His mother (French) came from Quebec and his father (Metis) was born at Ile-a-la-Crosse. Both parents were devout Catholics and their piety was to be an important factor in the family's daily life. Louis spent his childhood on the east bank of the Red River, not far from St. Boniface. He grew up among the Metis and was extremely conscious of his Metis identity inherited through his father's line.

At the age of ten, he began his education, eventually studying at the school run by the Christian Brothers established in the Settlement in 1854 with the aim of training priests for the young colony. As a student in the small river community of St. Boniface, Riel attracted the attention of Bishop Alexander Tache. The Bishop was delighted with Riel and at the age of fourteen (1858), he was sent off to Montreal (along with two other boys, Daniel McDougall and Louis Schmidt) to study in a seminary in preparation for the priesthood. Both of Riel's parents were extremely proud of him.

In Montreal, Louis was admitted to the College de Montreal run by the Gentlemen of St. Sulpice, where he embarked upon an eight year classical course of studies, which included Latin, Greek, French, English, Philosophy and the Sciences. Louis proved to be an excellent student and, once he had caught up, placed himself at the top of his class. He was described by his tutors as rather moody. Riel did not smoke nor drink, but he did have a very quick temper.

Louis was overwhelmed with grief by the death of his beloved father, in January 1864, whom he had not seen since leaving Red River. Although he continued his studies, his instructors found that his attitude had changed. They began to question whether Louis really had a religious vocation. In March 1865, finding its regulations too restrictive, he left the College de Montreal. He requested and was granted permission to continue his schooling as a day student while living with the Grey Nuns. After breaking the rules several times and repeatedly missing class, he was asked to leave both the College and the convent.

Upon leaving the College, Louis was confronted by a world fraught with intense political activity. Canada was emerging as a new country, with Confederation being debated hotly. He lived with his aunt, Lucie Riel, the wife of John Lee, and found employment in the law office of Rodolphe Laflamme, an anti-confederate and an anti-cleric, and where he met Wilfred Laurier. He fell in love with Marie Julie Guernon and even signed a marriage contract. However, this romance was quickly broken off as Marie's parents were opposed to their daughter marrying a Metis. Disappointed, Riel made his way to Chicago and St. Paul. It would appear that he lived for a while with the poet Louis Frechette and a group of exiled French Canadian nationalists. It would also appear that he worked briefly for Edouard Langevin or Gilbert Lachance before returning to Manitoba. He arrived in St. Boniface on July 26, 1868, after an absence of ten years, an educated but unemployed young man.

Riel was of average height with a stocky build. He had a dark complexion and a slightly hooked nose. At twenty-five he was saddled with major responsibilities. He made prompt and firm decisions, but his immaturity revealed a lack of confidence and, like all twenty-five year old men, he was to make mistakes; however his would be in the public eye.

Between 1868 and 1870, Louis dedicated his life to the plight of his people. Standing up to be heard by the encroaching Canada, establishing a Provisional Government, and negotiating the entry of Manitoba into the Dominion of Canada. His love of his people can not be questioned, nor his sense of fairness for all individuals around him. His Bill of Rights for the people of the Red River Settlement was way ahead of its time, carving a guideline for peaceful, harmonious treatment of diverse individuals within the same area.

Shortly after Manitoba entered Confederation, Louis suffered a breakdown. He was often depressed and claimed that he had visions of a mission to fulfill. His cries and lamentations so frightened Father Barnabe that he sent for Riel's uncle, John Lee. The latter took him back to Montreal and he was confined to an asylum in the Province of Quebec, under the name of Louis R. David. Shortly thereafter, he was transferred to the asylum at Beauport where he gradually recovered his health. He was discharged from the asylum in January 1878, with the recommendation that he avoid excitement.

From Beauport, Riel returned to Keeseville where he remained for a while. During this time, he fell in love with Evelina Barnabe, Father Barnabe's sister. Less interested in politics now, Riel tried to find work so that he might have something to offer Evelina. Finally he decided to return to the West. Evelina did not think she would be able to adapt to prairie life and after several months, Riel stopped writing to her and the relationship came to an end.

In the fall of 1878, Riel returned once again to St. Joseph, near Pembina where in April 1879, he was visited by his mother and his friends. Riel was living in the United States, for he was still banished from Manitoba. Since 1879, he had followed the buffalo hunt and worked as an agent, trader and woodcutter near Carroll, in Montana Territory. Here he met Marguerite Monet dite Bellehumeur, a Metis whom he married "a la facon du pays" on April 28, 1881, and solemnly on March 9, 1882.

In 1882, Riel threw himself into Montana politics and campaigned for the Republican Party. Riel sued a Democrat for vote rigging. He was then charged with fraud for inducing British subjects to vote in the election. It was at this point that he applied for and received American citizenship in Helena. When his term of exile ended, he paid a brief visit to his mother, then returned to live in the United States. In 1883, Riel becomes a schoolteacher at St. Peter's Mission in order to provide for his family which now included two children. Although he was a good teacher, Louis was not happy. He had hoped to instruct the Metis but found that they made little progress, coming to class only sporadically and preferring to follow the hunt.

On June 4, Riel received a visit from four Metis: Gabriel Dumont, Moise Ouellette, Michel Dumas and James Isbister; who had come to ask Louis to lead the Metis once again. They had travelled from northern Saskatchewan where several Metis families had settled after 1869. There the Metis had resumed their traditional way of life, now threatened by the influx of settlers and immigrants. Their borders were again disappearing, their rights were no longer being respected, their lands were being taken and the government was not listening.

Louis made up his mind quickly. The dream he had cherished for so long was coming true: his people needed him. After an absence of fifteen years, he was returning to Canada. These years had strongly marked him, for, exiled from his native land and pursued by bounty hunters, he had suffered a nervous breakdown. Now he saw the opportunity to claim his rights and those of his brethren from the Canadian government. Louis set out for Batoche with his wife and two children, arriving there around the beginning of July 1884.

The Northwest Rebellion resulted in the Metis Nation being almost annihilated, scattered in all directions for many years. The leadership of Louis and Gabriel Dumont was amazing in holding back the Canadian forces, but subterfuge and the experimentation with the gatling gun in the battle finally turned the tides.

Riel surrendered to the Canadian troops and was tried for Treason in Regina on , 1886. Treason? Even though he was an American and even though the vast majority of Canadians at that time wanted amnesty.

At his trial, Riel gave two long speeches which demonstrated his powerful rhetorical abilities. He personally rejected attempts by his defense counsel to prove he was not guilty by reason of insanity. On 1 August 1885, a jury of six English-speaking Protestants found Riel guilty but recommended mercy. Judge Hugh Richardson sentenced him to death. Attempted appeals were dismissed and a special re-examination of Riel's mental state by government appointed doctors found him sane. He was hanged in Regina on 16 November, 1885. His execution was widely opposed in Quebec and had lasting political ramifications. Riel was a controversial figure and his life and death have long been a cause of division between French and English Canadians. At the time of his hanging, an outraged Prime Minister John A. Macdonald said: "Riel shall hang though every dog in Quebec bark in his favour."

Louis David Riel tried repeatedly to bring a peaceful solution to the needs of his people and those of the growing Canada. The Metis were instrumental in keeping much of the territory of Canada within the Dominion, but were paid back with treachery, theft of their land and an unsuccessful assimilation into the population.

Louis David Riel, a proud Metis, a Founder of Manitoba, a Father of Confederation and an intriguing and interesting individual in Canada's history.