The Métis (; French: [metis]) refers to a group of Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture and are of mixed Indigenous and European (primarily French) ancestry which became a distinct group through ethnogenesis by the mid-18th century, during the fur trade era.In Canada, the Métis, with a population of 587,545 as of 2016, are one of three major groups of Indigenous peoples that were legally recognized in the Constitution Act of 1982, the other two groups being the First Nations and the Inuit.Smaller communities who self-identify as Métis exist in Canada and the United States, such as the Little Shell Tribe of Montana. The United States recognized the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians as being American Indian.
Alberta is the only Canadian province with a recognized Métis Nation land base: the eight Métis Nation Settlements, with a population of approximately 5,000 people on 1.25 million acres (5,100 km2).
1885Nov, 16
Canadian rebel leader of the Métis and "Father of Manitoba" Louis Riel is executed for treason.
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Events on 1885
- 24Apr
Buffalo Bill's Wild West
American sharpshooter Annie Oakley is hired by Nate Salsbury to be a part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West. - 2May
Léopold II of Belgium
The Congo Free State is established by King Léopold II of Belgium. - 3Jun
Big Bear
In the last military engagement fought on Canadian soil, the Cree leader, Big Bear, escapes the North-West Mounted Police. - 6Jul
Rabies
Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies on Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog. - 29Aug
Internal combustion
Gottlieb Daimler patents the world's first internal combustion motorcycle, the Reitwagen.