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What Led Up To The Rebellion Of 1885

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The Rebellion [KF1] of 1885 has had long-lasting effects of the First Nations, their political efforts, and their way of life. A study of the events leading up to the Rebellion of 1885 reveal a dispute between the First Nations people and the North-West government authority over treaty rights and land settlement. Historical media reports and surveillance data claimed the First Nations people joined the Metis in an revolt; however, there is evidence that government authorities used the events before, during and after 1885 to aid in their pre-existing campaign to suppress First Nations’ political efforts in order to secure their land for settlement and assist in colonialization.
In the early 1880’s, the media played off western Euro-Canadian’s fears of a First Nations uprising, reinforcing and supporting negative stereotypes of First Nations. It was widely believed by Euro-Canadians that the First Nations people had joined the Metis to collapse the North-West government authority.[1] In an editorial written by in the Saskatchewan Herald on April 23, 1885, as cited by Blair Stonechild in his book “Saskatchewan[FK2] Indian and the Resistance of 1885: Two Case Studies”, it states, “the petted[FK3] Indians have proved the bad ones, and this gives weight to the old adage that the only good Indians are the dead ones.”[2] Euro-Canadians[FK4] held many misconceptions regarding the First Nations people, their treaties, and their political efforts, and the media’s extreme hostility
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