Although relatively few First Nations joined the 1885 Metis insurgence, the Canadian government reacted punitively, instituting draconian "Indian" policies whose ill-effects continue to resonate today. The Winter Count traces these developments alongside another narrative - the debate over the sanity of Metis leader Louis Riel. Dilys Leman weaves original poems and reconstituted archival texts, including medical reports, diaries, treaties, recipes, even a phrenological analysis, to create a montage that both presents and disrupts official history. Her narrative questions politically expedient...
Although relatively few First Nations joined the 1885 Metis insurgence, the Canadian government reacted punitively, instituting draconian "Indian" pol...