an uprising of Métis, and some early white settlers in the Red River area in 1870, led by Louis Riel and caused by encroachment on prairie lands by the Canadian government.
See also: Northwest Rebellion (def. 1)
- 1897  It was the time of the first Riel Rebellion in Manitoba, and although we were living far north of the actual scene of the rebellion, yet our supplies had in so great a measure been cut off, that we were existing on very scant rations.
- 1920  The force which put down the Riel Rebellion of 1870 was not a Canadian, but an Imperial force.
- 1947  . . . following the first Riel rising [1870] the more recalcitrant group migrated to the Saskatchewan River Valley. . . .
2
a second uprising of Métis, Crees, and white settlers, caused by the continued expansion of Canadian influence and settlement into the Saskatchewan region, nominally led by Louis Riel.
See also: Northwest Rebellion (def. 2)
- 1885  The sole subject of conversation here is the Riel rebellion, and everyone seems anxious for the latest news.
- 1958  When he came to Canada from Ireland in 1882, one of his early jobs was to help repair a grist mill wrecked by insurgents during the Riel rebellion.
- 1962  Interest in the old march, an integral part of the [1885] Riel uprising, was spurred recently. . . .