Sixth Grade
Worksheets
The North-West Rebellion
After the Red River Resistance failed, many of the Metis left that area. Though they were given legal status and their lands, they were not able to preserve their culture. Many more English settlers moved into the area. Then land speculators moved in and bought the Metis lands for far less than they were worth. With only small parcels of land for themselves, many Metis chose to move further west rather than become farmers.
The Metis were hunters rather than farmers. Their main source of meat was bison. Open hunting lands were becoming much harder to find. Saskatchewan, known as the North-West Territory at that time, was their destination. By the mid-1880s, the Hudson's Bay Company - along with other hunters - had decimated the numbers of animals. Instead of vast herds, there remained only a few thousand animals. The Metis could not find enough food to feed themselves.
It was not only the Metis who starved, but also the First Nations. Since Canada owned the land, the people asked the government for help. They got very little response.
