The Unweaving: A Novel

I'm still processing how much I learned about the years just before and after Manitoba became part of Canada from this book. I thought I had a pretty good grasp on the facts but author Cheryl Parisien has just shown me how much I didn't know. Wow!

The Rougeau family of Marienne, Clement, Julien, Charlotte, Suzette, Ferdie, and Clement mother Mare lived in St. Norbert. They had a river lot with room to farm and raise animals. Before settling in St. Norbert, they had followed the buffalo herds and travelled to find food and shelter. It was Marienne who insisted they settle down in St. Norbert because she could see this nomadic lifestyle would not exist for much longer. Clement still took off on long trading trips to St. Paul which brought show more in some much needed money. All that changed with news that surveyors were close by making new lots where the Metis already held land. Clement's brother, Pierre, said they had to oppose this but Clement just wanted to farm and trade as usual. Pierre did persuade Julien to join him and the other Metis. The charismatic Louis Riel became the leader of the provisional government of Red River. There was, of course, opposition from white settlers calling themselves the Canadian Party. In February 1870 there was an incident when Norbert Parisien was caught in Kildonan and charged with being a spy. Norbert managed to escape but shot a man who subsequently died. Norbert was caught and tortured. In this book, Julien witnessed this and stayed with Norbert until he died from his injuries. When the Canadian Party members approached Fort Garry, the Metis captured them and imprisoned them. Thomas Scott was one of the prisoners and it was for his role in Norbert's death that he was executed. Later in 1870, Louis Riel and the Metis agreed that Manitoba could join Canada with assurances that they would retain their language and land and there would be no repercussions for the "rebellion". Soon all those promises were broken. The Rougeaus came back from a foraging trip to find their house had been burned and most of their possessions destroyed. Julien had already set out for Saskatchewan and Charlotte had been offered a job as a seamstress in Winnipeg. So, the remaining five members decided to go to their hunting cabin in the eastern woods where they would be safe.

One other nugget of information that I learned was that the first leader of the provisional government was not Louis Riel but John Bruce. His tenure was short though and Riel took over soon enough. We often park on John Bruce Road when we are taking a walk in the Bois des Esprits along the Seine River. I'd never realized who the road was named after or even really thought about it. If I had I probably would have thought John Bruce was some Selkirk Settler; one online source gave Brousse as an alternative spelling for Bruce which is perhaps more plausible. show less