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Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont are Dead
A Book of Poems
On the front, Louis Riel says "Like, who's ever heard of Gabriel Dumont?" On the back, Dumont points out, "Hey! At least nobody ever hanged me." He has a point.
In 1885 the two led the northwest rebellion, a revolt of Métis (half-breed) people against the central Canadian government. They lost.
In this poetry book, the ghosts of the two meet to take a look at the world and the Metis today. As as sort of Métis myself (perhaps as much aboriginal blood as Riel had) I liked this book. (I don't think the Métis themselves were fond of it, but none of them wanted me to publish their own book of poems about the subject - offer still open.) Each poem comes with an explanation at the beginning so you know what the poem is about!
I took selected poems from the book and made a short play - about twenty minutes long, mixing prose and poetry. It's a nifty play - you can learn the essentials of the history from it. It's included at the back of the book.
You can get the play by itself from Passion Among the Cacti Press for $8.
98 pages, larger print for older eyes
Perfect-bound, reinforced binding*
*Note that I hand-bind copies of this sucker in the basement. I got this book, like, on how to do that. Looked good, but I never felt the pages were in there firmly enough, so I add a few big mother staples to hold it together. You take it as you get it, eh.
SAMPLE
Riel was part of a family of martyrs and religious hardcore cases. His sister, Sara, became a Grey Nun, and spent her life in a small northern settlement. However powerful her religious feelings there was no call for another Joan of Arc. But there was a call for a Métis nailed to a cross. At least Louis thought so. No one knows what her last, horrid vision was.
So did you and Sara draw lots,
Louis
When you were kids, to decide
Who became martyr, who served quietly?
You quit the seminary; she
became Sister Marguerite Marie.
This must have bothered you, since you alone of your family
Were not there when they made her a Grey Nun
She went to Ile-à-la-Crosse
To take care of children, pray to her God
And maybe not think too much of faraway brothers
She died there screaming in her
last moments
With some vision no one understood
Was it at that moment, Louis, that
you decided
To try our the sisal collar
To see how it fit?