Gabriel Dumont ( Fr. Gabriel Dumont ; December 1837 - May 19, 1906 ) - leader of the Canadian Métis of Western Canada in the second half of the XIX century, one of the leaders of the Northwest Uprising (1885).
| Gabriel Dumont | |
|---|---|
| fr. Gabriel dumont | |
 Gabriel Dumont | |
| Date of Birth | December 1837 |
| Place of Birth | |
| Date of death | 05/19/1906 (68 years) |
| Place of death | |
| A country | |
| Occupation | hunter , politician |
| Father | Isidore Dumont |
| Mother | Louise Laframboise |
Biography
Early life
Gabriel Dumont was born in December 1837 . He was the second son in the family of Isidore Dumont and Louise Laframboise. The Dumont family, like many Canadian mestizos of the time, was engaged in hunting and farming. At the age of 12, Gabriel was considered a good hunter. He knew how to use both firearms and a bow with arrows and was well known as an experienced rider.
In 1848, the Dumont family moved to the south of Saskatchewan , in the area of the modern city of Regina . Gabriel Dumont becomes a famous and respected bison hunter, bold and decisive. He could speak six languages and established himself as a good translator.
 | Gabriel's iron nerves and firm hand made him indispensable when suddenly a person needed immediate intervention. Once with a Cree Indian chasing bison, a misfortune happened: the ruptured barrel of a gun crushed his fingers. It was terrible to look at the hand of this unfortunate ... Looking around his hand, Gabriel offered to immediately cut off his fingers. “What to do,” the Indian agreed. “Cut!” Two precise and quick stabs followed, and the deed was done. Dumont bandaged his wounded arm with a tight tourniquet around his wrist. And, as I heard, the wounds healed perfectly. |
- the Scot John Kerr recalled.
Sometimes Dumont in Saskatchewan had to engage in military clashes with the Sioux Indians and the Blackfoot .
In 1858, he marries Madeline Wilkie, the daughter of the English-speaking mestizo Jean Baptiste Wilkie . In 1862, Dumont was elected head of the Métis group, [3] which he leads to the North Saskatchewan River region, near Fort Carleton . In 1868, Dumont's group established a permanent settlement on the South Saskatchewan River , near Batosh .
In 1873, Dumont was elected president of the Republic of Saint Laurent, whose existence was short-lived, but Dumont himself continued to remain the head of the Métis of the South Saskatchewan River region .
Northwest Uprising
After the suppression of the Red River uprising, part of the Manitoba mestizos moved to the Saskatchewan River valley, leaving their native places from oppression and repression. The number of immigrants from Ontario and Europe was growing rapidly, the Canadian government intended to lay a railroad through Saskatchewan, and distribute the land surrounding it to railroad campaigns and newly arrived colonists. On March 24, 1884, a general meeting of mestizos took place in Batos, which decided to turn to Louis Riel , who lives in Montana, for help. A delegation led by Gabriel Dumont was sent to Riel. [4] In Saskatchewan, the Mestizos organized an interim government, with Dumont becoming the commander in chief.
In the armed uprising took part the French-speaking mestizos and part of the Cree Indians, Ojibwe and Assiniboins . Enemies of Dumont, including General Frederick Middleton , who led units of the regular army and police during the Northwest Uprising, were of high opinion about his military leadership capabilities. Despite the enormous problems, thanks in large part to Dumont, the Métis won a number of victories in battles with police and soldiers. Knowing that the mestizos could not resist in battles against regular units of the British army, he called for a guerrilla war, surrendering Batosh and Saint Laurent to the British. But Dumont met with the opposition of Riel, who categorically did not want to leave Batosh, the new metis capital. Riel also did not allow him to damage the railway in order to prevent the advancement of the enemy.
In the decisive battle that took place from March 9 to 12 in the vicinity of Batosh, the rebels were defeated. The uprising was crushed. Dumont was able to escape captivity and make his way through Cypress Hill to Montana , where he surrendered to the American cavalry.
Further Life
After the surrender by the US military, Dumont spent a short time as a prisoner - the American government granted him political asylum and he was released. [five]
In 1886, Dumont joined the famous Wild West show, directed by Buffalo Bill . In the show, he introduced himself as the leader of the rebels and an excellent shooter. In the summer of that year, the Canadian government announced his amnesty , but Dumont returned to Canada only two years later. In 1893 he returned to Batosh, where he received the right to land. He returned to his former life as a hunter, farmer and trapper . Gabriel Dumont passed away on May 19, 1906 .
See also
- Louis Riel
Notes
- ↑ http://canadachannel.ca/canata/index.php/B._Protest_on_the_Prairies,_1869-1885
- ↑ http://www.glenbow.org/exhibitions/online/libhtm/feb13.htm
- ↑ The Metis - Memorable Events and Memorable Personalities Archived on April 21, 2008.
- ↑ The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Foundation of Canada. Dumont, Gabriel (2007). Date of treatment September 24, 2007. Archived February 21, 2012.
- ↑ Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online . Biographi.ca. Date of treatment February 25, 2011. Archived on August 25, 2012.
Literature
- Suankei B. Gabriel Dumont and the 1885 uprising in Saskatchewan = The Story of Gabriel Dumont and the Saskatchewan Rebellion of 1885 / Ben Suankey; Per. from English V.A. Tishkova . - M .: Progress , 1980 .-- 144 p. - 16,000 copies.
- Woodcock, George., Miller, James Rodger. Gabriel Dumont: the Métis chief and his lost world . - Broadview Press, 2003. - ISBN 978-0-88922-625-8 .