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The political reality for the Métis in the 1800s was one fraught with the tension of change. Such tension at times spilled over into violent confrontations, such as the Battles at Seven Oaks in 1816 and at Grand Coteau in 1851; but more importantly, it galvanized the ideas of self identity that had been growing among the Métis people.

By 1885, the Métis desire for cultural recognition and self rule had grown into full scale rebellion against the authorities of the day. Though the North-West Rebellion was considered a failure on the battlefield, and a defeat for the Métis, it was only a pause in the long quest of the Métis people for status as a distinct society in Canada.

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Rivalry and Union(1821)/Seven Oaks

Free Trade at Red River

Battle of Grand Coteau

Provisional Government (1869-1870)

Manitoba Act and Scrip

Indian Treaties

Post 1886: Rupture and Drift

Political Agitation (1870s and 1880s)

North-West Rebellion (1885 and after)