Louis Riel noose strands given to Winnipeg museum

Winnipeg'sSt. Boniface Museum hasreceived strands ofthe rope believed to have been used to hang Louis Riel.

Museum director Phillipe Mailhot saidan envelope containing five or sixcurled pieces of rope were donated bythe daughter of Duff Roblin,a former Manitoba premier.

Written onthe envelope is the name of the captain who escorted Louis Riel from Batoche, Sask.,to Regina, where he was hangedfor treason in 1885.

Riel had led an uprising against Canadian troops to defend and maintain aboriginal rights, believingCanada had failed to address the protection of their rights, their land and their survival as a distinct people.

Mailhot saidhe compared the rope toa piece at the RCMP museum in Regina, and believes it is authentic.

"The rope was burned the day of the execution to prevent trafficking in you know, macabre souvenirs. A number of these insiders may well have gotten a length," he said.

Duff Roblin, who served as Manitoba premier from 1958 to 1967,was given the envelope in 1969. It was kept in his home and his daughter took it to the museum after hedied in 2010.

Jennifer Roblin told CBC News that she remembers seeing the envelopewhen she was a child. It was housed in a glass case with some family mementoes.

When her dad was dying, she asked him what he wanted done with the rope and he asked thatit be donated to a place that would make sure Manitobans could have access to it.

She saidshe thinks he held on to it because the needs and struggles of aboriginal and Mtis people were not a huge focus during his time in office, and herecognizedmore could and should have been done.

In later years,Roblin helped set up a scholarship for aboriginal students to pursue post-secondary education.

The museum has a piece of rope that was found in Riel's casket, but it has never been authenticated as coming from the noose.

Riel was charged with high treason for leading the North West Rebellion and after a trial, he was sentencedto death.

Despite several appeals, Riel was hanged on Nov. 16, 1885, in Regina.

Until well into the 20th century, Riel was regarded as a traitor, but in the 1960s hisimage began to turn around.

Today, most Canadians, particularly the Mtis, have reclaimed him as a heroic patriot, founder of Manitoba and a Father of Confederation.

Louis Riel Day is now a celebratedholidayin Manitoba on the third Monday in February.