fleeing westward:
![Picture](/uploads/2/0/9/4/20947342/3968884_orig.jpg)
Scattering across the prairies, many of the Métis left their original territory near the Red River. The Manitoba Act made French and English the official languages of the province. The rights of the Métis seemed to be protected under the new legislation; 1.4 million acres of land were reserved for the Métis to use as farmland. Because of the Red River Rebellion, Macdonald ordered troops to keep peace in the area. However, the troops did not keep peace, and many of the Métis were brutalized, dying from the beatings they received. The soldiers were not punished for their actions. According to Macdonald, “these impulsive Métis have got spoilt by the emeute (uprising) and must be kept down by a strong hand until they are swamped by the influx of settlers.” Another situation that contributed to inequality towards the Métis was land scrip. Land scrip was a piece of paper, similar to money, that settlers in Manitoba were required to possess. The value was $160, based on the value of a quarter section of land. This entitled a person to exchange the scrip for a homesteader’s quarter-section land grant. Coming to the Red River Valley, land speculators often ripped the Métis off by forcing them to give their scrip. Using the scrip from the Métis provided the speculators with even more investment capital, which was money used to invest in a project. If the Métis did not give their scrip to the speculators, the government of Manitoba often threatened them with imprisonment. Because of this, many Métis left Manitoba in the early 1870s, and travelled to the Northwest. Some settled near Fort Edmonton on the North Saskatchewan River, others settled in the land near the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers, near Prince Albert. Some Métis also went to the Dakota and Montana territory.
The Métis in the northwest:
![Picture](/uploads/2/0/9/4/20947342/978011_orig.jpg)
The settlement created by the Métis in the Northwest was established based on some of the patterns in the Red River. Farms were laid out in the traditional manner; long lots with frontage on the river. There was always a Catholic church. Three sources provided their income. These were farming small garden plots on their land, hunting buffalo, and hauling freight for the HBC. However in the early 1870s, the bison were beginning to disappear. The bison population made settlement in the United States and the Canadian Northwest possible. Because of this, the Métis adopted the Law’s of St. Laurent, which were strict laws dictating all aspects of life, including the bison hunt. However, the Métis were slowly losing food and income.
There were still ways for the Métis to survive. Lawrence Clarke was the Chief Factor at Fort Carlton, which was the main HBC post in the area. He hired Métis carriers on temporary contracts. However, Clarke viewed them greatly as inferior, and paid them extremely little. By the time it was 1875, Clarke was no longer paying them in cash, but instead in trade goods. The Canadian government then made Clarke the magistrate, which gave him much authority and power. He used his powers for the benefit of the HBC, and continued to oppress the Métis. If any Métis attempted to strike for better wages because of the low pay, they would be arrested and imprisoned. With the bison completely gone, the winter of 1874 to 1875 was extremely harsh and there was very little to eat; no more pemmican meant a loss of food and income for the Métis. In 1875, as a magistrate, Clarke abolished the Métis’s Laws of St. Laurent. No longer able to conserve their livelihood, the Métis now had no more authority or right to create their own laws.
There were still ways for the Métis to survive. Lawrence Clarke was the Chief Factor at Fort Carlton, which was the main HBC post in the area. He hired Métis carriers on temporary contracts. However, Clarke viewed them greatly as inferior, and paid them extremely little. By the time it was 1875, Clarke was no longer paying them in cash, but instead in trade goods. The Canadian government then made Clarke the magistrate, which gave him much authority and power. He used his powers for the benefit of the HBC, and continued to oppress the Métis. If any Métis attempted to strike for better wages because of the low pay, they would be arrested and imprisoned. With the bison completely gone, the winter of 1874 to 1875 was extremely harsh and there was very little to eat; no more pemmican meant a loss of food and income for the Métis. In 1875, as a magistrate, Clarke abolished the Métis’s Laws of St. Laurent. No longer able to conserve their livelihood, the Métis now had no more authority or right to create their own laws.