Northwest Resistance

Northwest Resistance continues the intertwined narratives of the previous two books in Katherena Vermette’s graphic novel series, “A Girl Called Echo”. In Volume 2 of the series, Red River Resistance, (www.cmreviews.ca/node/591) Echo’s mother is no longer in the picture, and it was unclear as to what has happened. The opening pages of Northwest Resistance suggest that she has been resident in a treatment or rehabilitation centre, and that she is now “healthy and strong and everything is going to be okay.” (p. 5) But, Echo is, in her mother’s words, a “worrier”, and while she is happy that her mom is home, it’s clear that Echo remains preoccupied. Lying down for a nap, she finds herself transported back in time to March, 1885, and looks out on snow-covered prairie. She is greeted by a young Métis woman who introduces herself as Josephine. The resemblance between the two is uncanny: freckle-faced, hair in braids, they appear to be the same age, and, except for more than a century’s difference in clothing, they could be twins.

Josephine invites Echo to attend a gathering at the church in Batoche, District of Saskatchewan. Louis Riel has returned from Montana, as has Gabriel Dumont, and now the assembled Métis are working out a plan to assert the same land claims as Riel formulated for Red River. Dumont addresses the assembly, telling them that “the police are coming to take Louis. What are you going to do? Here is a man who has done so much for us. Are we going to let him slide through our hands?” (p. 9) Although Riel is willing to surrender himself to the Canadian government, the Métis are equally ready to take up arms and fight for their rights. Fifteen years earlier, in Red River Resistance, Echo met a young Métis man named Benjamin. As the crowd mingles and visits after Riel has spoken, Benjamin embraces Josephine who surprises Echo with the news that Benjamin is her father. But there’s no time for explanations: battle plans are underway, and Josephine asks Echo, “You will return for the battle, will you not?” (p. 16) Because memories of the carnage at Red River are still vivid, Echo returns to the present where her history teacher summarizes the events at Batoche:

They gathered many nearby settlers and indigenous bands to Batoche, and all met at the church, St. Antoine de Padoue, on what’s called St. Joseph’s Day. For the Métis, it was a good sign, because St. Joseph was their patron saint. The Métis and settlers were concerned about the surveyors, who were ignoring their traditional river-lot system and imposing their square-lot system. Most were not opposed to becoming a part of Canada, but they wanted to be able to keep the land that they had inhabited for generation. They were wary of the government giving away more of their land to eastern colonizers. (p. 18)

Learning of this, Echo leaves the classroom, upset and angry. Once home, while helping with some household chores, she’s shown some photos of her grandmother and great grandmother. There’s a striking resemblance between the women in the photos and Echo. Suddenly, Echo is transported to Duck Lake, in what is now the province of Saskatchewan, and it is March 26, 1885. Although Dumont’s forces outmaneuver the Canadians, the bloodshed is horrible, and Echo awakens from the nightmare. But, the historical reality is that the nightmare continues. The victory at Duck Lake inspires confidence amongst the Métis, but, after several weeks of fighting, the tide turns against them, and they are no match for Gatling gun fire. Gabriel Dumont flees to the Canada-U. S. border, and, on May 15, 1885, Riel surrenders to General Middleton. The cause is lost. Benjamin tells his daughter that they must flee but asks, “Where do we go now? We have no home, we have no land, no treaty. Where is our place?” (p. 41) All is destroyed, and, in final insult, the bell from the church in Batoche has been taken, too. As Benjamin and Josephine walk away, receding into the past, Echo watches it all fade away. She feels defeated, too.

Northwest Resistance, however, ends on a hopeful note. Back in the present, Echo’s mom, Anne-Marie, surprises her with a gift from the past. Knowing of her daughter’s interest in history, both general and personal, Anne-Marie has done some research and hands Echo a collection of documents and photos. There’s a reason why Josephine and Echo look so much alike: Benjamin was Echo’s grandmother’s great-grandfather, and he lived through both the Red River and Northwest Resistances, dying at the age of 102.

As in Red River Resistance, (www.cmreviews.ca/node/591) Northwest Resistance focuses more on the events of the past than on Echo’s life in the present. Battlefield scenes are boldly rendered in drawings by Scott Henderson with little or no text. There is no need for many words because the intensity of Donovan Yaciuk’s coloured frames powerfully convey the horror of battle. The rat-tat-tat of mechanized weaponry underscores the terrible odds against which the Métis fought, armed only with rifles and gunshot made of melted-down tea cans. And, as was the case with Red River Resistance, Louis Riel emerges as a truly heroic figure, seeking redress for his people and willing to give himself up for a principle: “You cannot exist without having that spot of land. This is the principle. God cannot create a tribe without locating it. We are not birds.” (p. 29)

Fifteen years pass between the events of the Red River Resistance in 1870 and the conclusion of the Northwest Resistance in 1885. Readers see little of Echo’s daily school life at Winnipeg Middle School, other than her reactions to what she learns in her Canadian History classes, and readers never find out what caused her mother’s absence from her life in the previous book.

Northwest Resistance continues to tell the history of that era through the perspectives of the Métis, and Louis Riel is portrayed, not as a rebel or traitor, but as a leader with a vision, someone interested in redress and justice for his people. Those of us who studied Canadian History in high school during the latter decades of the 20th century were taught that the events of 1870 and 1885 were “rebellions” rather than resistance against an injustice. At the end of the book, there is a “Timeline of the Northwest Resistance”, listing dates, events, and outcomes. I think that placing the “Timeline . . .” at the beginning of the book, rather than at the end, would be helpful to those unfamiliar with the locations at which crucial events take place. However, a map of Manitoba and Northwest Territories, including portions of the border states of North Dakota and Montana, provides a geographic context for the book’s events. Even life-long Manitobans will note that, in 1885, it was still “the postage stamp province”. Gabriel Dumont was the Métis’ military leader in both the Red River and Northwest Resistances, and a short biographical sketch provides additional background information about him.

As in previous volumes, Echo’s story ends with “to be continued”, hinting that the next volume will provide an opportunity to find out more about those ancestors in the photos and genealogical chart. The intended audience for Red River Resistance is ages14-17, an age group which would be studying the Northwest Resistance as part of the Canadian history curriculum. A graphic novel offers an accessible format by which to learn history, and teachers of Social Studies and Canadian History will find it a worthwhile supplemental resource, especially for students who might be struggling with making sense of these events. As a fictional character, Echo’s story needs more development, and perhaps adolescent readers who met her in the previous works of the series will learn more about her as her story continues.