Louis Riel: A Hero

Louis Riel, a central figure in the Red River Rebellion and the North West Resistance, played a large part in the creation of Canada as we know it. A controversial figure, he is considered either a hero or a traitor depending on which side of the fence you stand. Louis riel is a hero because he stood for his people against the tyrannical Canadian Government, was influential in the creation of Manitoba and he lived and died for what he believed in. At the same time, by putting Riel on a pedestal we fail to see his flaws and forget to analyse his life with a balanced view. While Riel was certainly a hero, in order to truly know the legacy of the father of Confederation it is important not to overlook his mistakes, flaws and failures.

Riel was
When Riel saw the delegation of four sent to retrieve him, he believed that the 4 horsemen were a sign from God that he should lead. He was a different man than he had been in 1884 having been diagnosed as suffering from “delusions of grandeur”. Riel wrote a book about religion, philosophy and science titled the “Massinahican” and explained to Bishop Bourget that, “I am in direct communication with my creator”. When they arrived in Saskatchewan, Riel became the leader of a provisional with Dumont serving as his general. Dumont rarely challenged Riel’s decisions as he completely believed in his leader. Riel called himself Louis David Riel as he believed he was the David of the New World. Riel was able to convince people that he was a prophet with authority of divine inspiration. Within the Provisional Government of Saskatchewan Riel created Exovedate, meaning “those picked from the flock”. The ultimate goal of Exovedate was for the betterment of the Metis; however, at the same time, it was a way for Riel to proselytize his new religion. To what extent Riel accomplished Exovedate’s hidden goal is unknown, but Riel had loyal followers believing he was truly an anointed prophet from God. In certain cases, Dumont didn’t believe in Riel’s actions but said, “I yielded to Riel’s judgement. Although I was convinced that from a humane standpoint, mine was the better plan, I had confidence in his faith, and that God would listen to him.” Riel believed he would be able to successfully defeat the canadian government and reform religion and politics. Believing that Riel's only goal was to help the Metis and Aboriginal peoples is incorrect as Riel wanted to convert people to his religion. His desires and beliefs were not traitorous or criminal, but knowing that this agenda existed within Riel’s campaign is somewhat