|
 In the eyes of government officials and politicians, the
mixed-bloods were not a distinct group. In the Manitoba Act of 1870,
the first legislative act to recognize the aboriginal rights of the Métis
and Half-breeds, scrip was not included, but the act was later amended to
compensate for their Indian title; Mixed-bloods were given 160 acres of
land or scrip valued at $160. During the Treaty 8 commission of
1899, mixed-bloods at Lesser Slave Lake and Dunvegan were offered either
land scrip or money scrip. Land scrip could be exchanged for
Dominion land; money  scrip for a block sum of money equal to the value of
land. Most preferred money scrip, as their need for money to buy
provisions was immediate and many Métis did not have the inclination or
the necessary money for equipment to establish a homestead. The land
scrip was supposedly meant to prevent land speculation, but this took
place anyway, as the government did little to prevent land speculators
from purchasing scrip from the mixed-bloods. Speculators from
Edmonton were already in waiting at Lesser Slave Lake when the Métis
received scrip; many of these speculators paid a fraction of what the
scrip was actually worth, taking advantage of the fact that most
mixed-bloods were illiterate and did not fully understand the significance
of scrip. Some of the more prominent scrip speculators included the
Imperial Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal and Bank of Nova Scotia, as well
as private banks and individuals.
During the early decades of the twentieth century, many
Métis eked out a living trapping, trading, working at mixed farming and
hiring out as labourers or domestics for settlers. As they were not
treaty Indians, they could not be eligible for education and medical
benefits from the government, although some reserve schools did accept
Métis children as students. Liquor became an increasing
problem. Many men enlisted during the First World War, but because
their names did not reflect their distinct culture, the numbers of Métis
men having joined the Canadian forces are unknown. In the 1920s,
when other groups were experiencing the post-war boom, the Métis as a
group remained the poorest of the poor. They suffered greatly from
malnutrition, tuberculosis, pneumonia and other communicable diseases.
Reprinted from "A Sense of the
Peace," by Roberta Hursey with permission of the Spirit of the Peace
Museums Association and the author. |
Heritage Community Foundation Presents
The Treaty
