Cuthbert Grant

Gr 4-6–Cuthbert Grant, who was the son of a Scotsman and a Métis (mixed-race Cree) woman, played a significant role in the lives of the Métis people. Grant was sent to Montreal in his youth to be formally educated. He returned to the Red River Region as an officer of the North West Company, which was a major Canadian fur-trading company cofounded by his father. The rivalry between the North West Company and the Hudson Bay Company over resources as well as the encroachment of Scottish settlers on Indigenous lands led to conflict between the companies. Cuthbert sided with the Métis and Indigenous people in their efforts to protect their lands. He eventually led the Métis in creating a new farming community. The factual narrative examines the impact of colonization and capitalism on the Métis and Indigenous people. Woods’s acrylic, oil, and collage on canvas art depict energetic action scenes, such as Cuthbert living and working in the Red River region, and detailed moments that capture his time in Montreal. Black-and-white and color photographs are interspersed throughout the narrative. The text is offset in color boxes with a border of bison. The “For More Information” section lists books and websites. Lindstrom is Ojibwe/Métis/Cree/Haudenosaunee; Grant is Lindstrom’s uncle, four generations removed. Woods is Dakota/Ojibwe.