The story of Louis Riel: The Riel facts
Over time, the way we have perceived Louis Riel has changed. From being called an insane rebel to an Idealistic hero. Riel was born in Manitoba 1844, and died in 1885, but he lives on today through the province of Manitoba and its people. He grew up in a small town, with other Métis people. He started his education at the late age of seven when a school was established by a Christian Brother. He started his formal education at a law school in Montréal. But abruptly decided to go back to defend his people with his newfound knowledge.
Even today, there are people who still think of him in a negative way. There are three major statues of Riel that all portray him in different ways. The first statue made by Lemay and Gaboury was unveiled in 1973. This statue shows Riel as very frail, weak and bare. Somebody viewing this statue would probably think of him more negatively and this statue was how they chose to share that. The next statue, made by Miguel Joyal in 1996, is a much more positive depiction of Louis Riel, showing him fully dressed, standing tall, with a scroll in his hand. This statue looks proud, strong, and selfless. The final statue seems to be in the middle of the previous two, he is wearing a cloak, but nothing else and he is reaching towards where the moon is, as if he could reach out and talk to God.
The way we have looked at Louis Riel has changed over time with us taking a better look at our history and how everything actually happened. During the years that Riel gained infamy, the majority of white people viewed him as insane, and a lunatic. Many of these thoughts came from how much he believed that he was doing God’s work and that he was the messiah. The character of Riel is shown many different times, starting with him helping defend his cousin’s ranch*, and even helping make the town of Batoche, which he nicknamed the “city of god”. Even though Riel knew that defending the land of the Métis people as well as their rights would make his life harder, he did it without hesitation, showing his selflessness, and true dedication to his cause.
When Louis Riel was
*War stories. “Red River Rebellion: The Métis Nation’s Fight for Survival | Nations at War | War Stories”.