As a prominent Métis leader and a founder of Manitoba, Louis Riel is a principal example of someone who upheld Aboriginal values and traditions. Riel was born on October 22, 1844, in Saint-Boniface, Red River Settlement, as the son of a Métis father, and a French-Canadian mother. Riel studied as a lawyer in Montréal, but he returned to the Red River Settlement at the age of 24, just as Canada planned to take over Rupert’s Land from the Hudson's Bay Company. The Métis people of the Red River Colony feared that they would lose control of their land to the government of Canada.
Riel and residents of the Red River Colony stopped Canadian representatives from entering the settlement. They formed a temporary government, known …show more content…
From the moment he returned to the Red River Colony, Riel knew the Métis people were in danger of losing their land. He took the initiative to lead a group of Métis people who would fight the Canadian government. His efforts created a province where the people of the Red River Colony still had their own freedom. Louis Riel’s struggle to negotiate with the government for the Métis exemplifies the same values that Aboriginals today own. Even though they recognize that they are a part of Canada, many Aboriginal Canadians want their own land away from modern society in order to practice their culture. Louis Riel continued to uphold Aboriginal values and traditions when he assisted the Métis in Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Métis faced the same land ownership problems as the Red River Colony and Riel knew he had to help. He started a rebellion with the Canadian government once again, and despite the rebellion leading to his death, he left a message for Aboriginals of the future. Through his death, he taught Canadian Aboriginals that they should continue to fight for what is rightfully theirs, even if the government is against them. Louis Riel started a spark in many future Aboriginals that are not afraid to back down. Louis Riel is an Aboriginal that upheld their values and traditions without fear of the