Gabriel Dumont

Gabriel Dumont (December, 1837 ? May 19, 1906) was a leader of the Métis people of what is now western Canada. In 1873 Dumont was elected to the presidency of the short-lived commune of St-Laurent; afterward he continued to play a leading role among the Métis of the South Saskatchewan River. He played a critical role in bringing Louis Riel back to Canada, in order to get the government to pay attention to the troubles of the Métis people. He was adjutant general in the provisional Métis government declared in Manitoba in 1885, and commanded the Métis forces in the North-West Rebellion or North West Resistance of 1885.

Related Topics:
1837 - May 19 - 1906 - Métis - Canada - 1873 - South Saskatchewan River - Louis Riel - Manitoba - 1885 - North-West Rebellion

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Dumont was a grandson of the French Canadian Jean-Baptiste Dumont and his Sarcee-Crow wife, who raised his three sons, Isidore, Gabriel and Jean, as hunters and traders on the Saskatchewan River. Isidore's second son, also named Gabriel, was raised a Métis, learning both French Catholic and Cree Indian customs. By the time he was 12, he was considered an accomplished shot with both a gun and bow and arrow, and was well known as a master horseman. In 1848, the Dumont family moved south to the area of Regina, Saskatchewan. Dumont, and his older brother Isidore, became buffalo hunters on the open plains of modern Canada and the United States. Over time, Dumont learned six languages, and established a reputation as a guide, hunter and interpreter. He was also famed for his drinking and gambling. Dumont participated in skirmishes with Indian tribes, including the Blackfeet and Sioux.

Related Topics:
Jean-Baptiste Dumont - Saskatchewan River - Catholic - Cree - Regina, Saskatchewan - Buffalo - Blackfeet - Sioux

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Dumont married Madeleine Welkie, the daughter of a Scottish-Indian trader in 1858, and in 1862 was elected chief of his Métis band. He led the band to the North Saskatchewan River, where they briefly settled near Fort Carlton. By 1868, the band established a permanent settlement near Batoche on the South Saskatchewan River.

Related Topics:
Fort Carlton - Batoche

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In 1886, Dumont joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show as a crack marksman. He also found employment as a speaker, giving a series of lectures in Montreal during 1888. He retired to Batoche in 1893, and dictated two memoirs of his experiences in the rebellion.

Related Topics:
Buffalo Bill - Wild West Show - Montreal

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In 1998, the public French first language high school in London, Ontario was re-named École Secondaire Gabriel-Dumont in his honour.

Related Topics:
1998 - London, Ontario - École Secondaire Gabriel-Dumont

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