Bell of Batoche

Bell of Batoche

The bell of Batoche is a 20-pound silver church bell seized in 1885 as spoils of war from the Métis community of Batoche (now in Saskatchewan) by soldiers from Ontario, following their victory in the Battle of Batoche over the North-West Rebellion. cite news|url=http://archives.cbc.ca/IDCC-1-73-1482-9911/politics_economy/louis_riel/|title=Where is the bell of Batoche?|publisher="CBC News"|date=24 October 1991|accessdate=2006-09-17] cite web|url=http://www.metisresourcecentre.mb.ca/history/bell.htm|title=History of the Bell of Batoche|publisher="Métis Resource Centre"|accessdate=2006-09-17]

Installation in Batoche

The bell was purchased in 1884 for the parish church of Batoche at the request of Father Julien Moulin. As was customary, the bell was "baptized" by Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin of the Diocese of St. Albert on 2 September 1884 with the name "Marie-Antoinette", and was given the inscription "Vital-Justin Grandin, évêque de St. Albert" (French: "Vital-Justin Grandin, Bishop of St. Albert").

Seizure

During the North-West Rebellion, the community of Batoche served as the ad hoc capital of the Louis Riel's Provisional Government of Saskatchewan. Following a succession of losses to the Métis and their aboriginal allies at Duck Lake, Fort Pitt, Fish Creek, and Cut Knife, the Canadian militia serving under British officer Middleton finally succeeded in crushing the Métis resistance at Batoche and capturing Riel.

The bell of Batoche was seized by the victorious soldiers and taken back to Ontario. It hung for several decades in the fire hall of Millbrook, Ontario, the home of several of the soldiers who had taken it. By 1991, it was kept in the hall of Millbrook branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.

Political controversy

The Métis of Saskatchewan had attempted a number of times since 1885 to recover the bell. In 1990, they sent another request for its return.

A CBC report covering the reaction of the Millbrook legion members quoted one member as saying "You tried to wreck the country and we stopped you... Now we've got the bell. It's ours." cite news|url=http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-73-1482-9901/politics_economy/louis_riel/clip8 |title=War trophy stays put|publisher="CBC News"|date=16 June 1990|accessdate=2006-09-17]

In October 1991, Yvon Dumont, president of the Manitoba Métis Federation, visited the legion hall where the bell was kept, accompanied by several other Manitoba Métis. They were photographed standing in front of the bell.

Theft

A week later, the bell was stolen in the night. Taken along with the bell were several medals belonging to Sergeant Ed McCorry, a soldier from Millbrook who had been present at the Battle of Batoche. cite news|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051008.wxbell08a/BNStory/National/|title=Bell of Batoche|publisher="Globe and Mail"|date=8 October 2005|accessdate=2006-09-17]

The whereabouts of the bell from that time forward are not publicly known. Yvon Dumont disclaimed any knowledge of the identity of the burglars, though he later said that "if it's a Métis person that has it, I would consider that person a hero, not a criminal." cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/08/01/bell-batoche050801.html|title=Métis want Bell of Batoche to sound again|publisher="CBC News"|date=1 August 2005|accessdate=2006-09-17]

Negotiations were begun to secure the official transfer of ownership of the bell to the Métis Nation, and Dumont offered to pay for the damage caused by the break-in. However, the Ontario legion hall initially refused to negotiate until the McCorry medals were returned.

In 2000, Saskatchewan Aboriginal Affairs Minister Jack Hillson issued a statement promising no charges would be laid if the bell was returned. It was hoped this would lead to the bell's return in time for Saskatchewan's millennium celebrations, but it did not appear.

In August 2005, Gabriel Dufault, leader of the Union nationale métisse Saint-Joseph, stated that "I've heard it's in Winnipeg. I've heard it's in a garage in the North End... I have a pretty good idea who the people that know more... are."

In a "Globe and Mail" story from 8 October 2005, Gary Floyd Guiboche, a Manitoba Métis who visited the bell with Dumont in 1991, confessed to stealing the bell. He refused to identify his partner in the theft, who he said "has kept the bell hidden too long for no reason." He said his partner had taken the McCorry medals, in addition to the bell, as "payback." cite news|url=http://www.rbcinvest.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/PEstory/LAC/20051012/BELL12/national/national/nationalTheNationHeadline/10/10/34/ |title=Police take new look at Bell of Batoche case|publisher="Globe and Mail"|date=12 October 2005|accessdate=2006-09-17]

References

External links

* [http://www.gov.mb.ca/hansard/hansard/1st-36th/vol29/h029_2.html Manitoba Hansard transcript regarding the Bell of Batoche]
* [http://www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca/plays/crossings.php Crossings (The Bell of Batoche)] , a play about the bell


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Batoche, Saskatchewan — Geobox Protected Area name =Batoche native name = other name = other name1 = category local =National Historic Site category iucn = image size = image caption = country = Country country1 =Canada state = Province state1 = Saskatchewan region =… …   Wikipedia

  • Cloche De Batoche — La cloche de Batoche est une cloche argent d église de 20 livres, qui fut saisie en 1885 comme butin de guerre de la communauté métisse de Batoche (maintenant en Saskatchewan) par des soldats ontariens, après leur victoire à la Bataille de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cloche de batoche — La cloche de Batoche est une cloche argent d église de 20 livres, qui fut saisie en 1885 comme butin de guerre de la communauté métisse de Batoche (maintenant en Saskatchewan) par des soldats ontariens, après leur victoire à la Bataille de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cloche de Batoche — La cloche de Batoche est une cloche argent d église de 20 livres, qui fut saisie en 1885 comme butin de guerre de la communauté métisse de Batoche (maintenant en Saskatchewan) par des soldats ontariens, après leur victoire à la Bataille de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Battle of Batoche — Infobox Military Conflict caption=James Peters photograph, Opening the Ball at Batoche , captures the initial Canadian bombardment. Peters commanded A Battery . conflict=Battle of Batoche partof=the North West Rebellion date=May 5 ndash; May 12,… …   Wikipedia

  • Métis people (Canada) — This article is about Indigenous Canadians of mixed race. For other uses, see Metis (disambiguation). See also: Métis people (United States) The title of this article contains the character é. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may… …   Wikipedia

  • List of oldest buildings in Canada — This is a list of the oldest surviving buildings a structures in each province of Canada. Contents 1 Alberta 2 British Columbia 3 Manitoba 4 New Brunswick …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Duck Lake — Part of the North West Rebellion This contemporary illustration of the Battle of Duck Lake offers a romanticized depiction of t …   Wikipedia

  • 12. Mai — Der 12. Mai ist der 132. Tag des Gregorianischen Kalenders (der 133. in Schaltjahren), somit verbleiben noch 233 Tage bis zum Jahresende. Historische Jahrestage April · Mai · Juni 1 2 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Lieu historique du Canada — Lieu historique national du Canada Un lieu historique national du Canada est un endroit considéré comme faisant partie du patrimoine culturel par le gouvernement du Canada. Sommaire 1 Description 2 Lieux gérés par Parcs Canada 2.1 Alberta 14 …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”