Riel aiva dangwe pavana gumi nomumwe mumhuri yairemekedzwa munharaunda iyi. Baba vake, avo vakanga vari veFranco-Ojibwa Métis, vakanga vawana mukurumbira munharaunda iyi nekuronga boka raitsigira Guillaume Sayer, Métis akaiswa mujeri nekuda kwekupokana neHBC's monopoly yekutengesa kare. Kubudiswa kwaSayer kwakaguma nekuda kwekushungurudzwa neboka raLouis Sr. kwakagumisa monopoly, uye zita rokuti Riel rakanga richizivikanwa munzvimbo yeRed River. Amai vake vaiva mwanasikana waJean-Baptiste Lagimodière naMarie-Anne Gaboury, mumwe wemhuri dzekutanga kuchena kuti vagare muRed River Settlement muna 1812.
kutanga kwa1866