Gabriel Dumont
by George Woodcock
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Description
The struggle of the Métis of the Saskatchewan River against the government of Canada culminated in the Riel Rebellion of 1885-an event of central importance in shaping almost all of the key polarities of Canadian history. If Riel provided the intellectual inspiration for the Rebellion, it was Gabriel Dumont who provided its strategy, and arguably its soul. Dumont, a leading figure in the Métis society of hunters along the South Saskatchewan, had been president of the short-lived local show more government, and became "Adjutant General of the Métis people" when a Provisional Government was declared in 1885. After the defeat of the Rebellion by the Canadian militia Dumont lived for several years in the United States, and was for some time a performer in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. In his last years he returned to his old home near Batoche (site of the final defeat of the Métis forces in 1885), where he died in 1906. George Woodcock's biography of Dumont displays the author's remarkable gift for evocative narration and description. In the wake of its 1975 publication Canadians had a new reference point in the way they thought of the Riel Rebellion; alongside the spirituality and impulsiveness of Riel was the calm commitment of Dumont, whose intuitive feel for the land and for the moods of his people have now become part of the Canadian historical imagination. For this re-issue of Woodcock's classic biography noted historian J.R. Miller has written a substantial introduction setting Gabriel Dumont in the context of Canadian history as we now understand it, in the context of Canadian historiography, and in the context of Woodcock's other work. As Miller convincingly argues, the biography is richly deserving of a lasting place in Canada's historical literature. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
An interesting biography, following all that we have recorded of the life of the prairie Metis leader. My copy, alas does not have an index, and I understand this was a feature of the 1975 edition. The bibliographical essay is relatively extensive and answers some needs. The endpaper map will do for the book as a whole. It is a reasonable contribution to the Canadian experience.
Fascinating comprehensive account by a veteran writer on the subject. It might leave room for more modern interpretation here and there.
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Author Information
118+ Works 1,688 Members
George Woodcock was born in Winnipeg, Canada on May 8, 1912. He was educated in England, and returned to Canada in 1949. He was a poet, critic, and essayist. During his lifetime, he wrote and edited almost 150 books. His works included Anarchism, The Anarchist Reader, The Crystal Spirit, and Canada and the Canadians. He was the founding editor of show more Canadian Literature, the first journal to look solely at Canada's literary world. He also founded the anarchist literary journal Now in 1940. He died from coronary problems on January 28, 1995 at the age of 82. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- Gabriel Dumont; Louis Riel; John A. MacDonald
- Important places
- Batoche, Saskatchewan, Canada; Saskatchewan, Canada
- Important events
- the 1869 Manitoba annexation; The 1885 Saskatchewan Revolt.
- Related movies
- The Temptations of Big Bear
- Original language
- English Canada
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 78
- Popularity
- 407,614
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.75)
- Languages
- English, French
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 10
- ASINs
- 4
