History is an ever fascinating topic. As a youth I considered it a "bunch of boring facts" until I had an ancient, eccentric, history teacher who had what he called a "contemporary lens". He was able to explain how the Romans viewed the Jewish uprising by a young firebrand, later crucified, as well as the German feelings after WWI. His own lens was of course tempered by his bias. 

On the surface Riel was a rebel, and treasonous, but one needs to look at the contemporary society, the Metis culture, to understand more depth. And now we apply our "modern lens" and see thing very differently. Hopefully that will allow us to not dwell on the indignities of the past, but forge a better future. Those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it.