Scenario:This alternate historical scenario—an Indigenous uprising across Canada following the conclusion of the Second Opium War (1856–1860)—imagines a large-scale, coordinated Indigenous rebellion against the British colonial regime during its moment of global overextension and colonial vulnerability. This uprising unfolds across the Pacific Northwest (Salishan groups), the Prairies, the Eastern Woodlands and Maritimes, the Métis, and the Inuit, culminating in the collapse of British colonial authority in Canada and the formation of a new Indigenous-led nation. Below is a detailed list of belligerents, key commanders/leaders (historically plausible or fictionalized as needed), military strength, equipment, and casualties and losses, based on this speculative alternate history. --- ⚔️ Belligerents Indigenous Coalition Forces United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Salishan First Nations British Army (North American Command) Prairie First Nations Royal Navy Pacific Fleet Eastern Woodland and Maritimes First Nations British Colonial Forces (Canada East, West, Hudson’s Bay Company units) Métis People British Colonial Militias (Loyalist settlers, French-Canadian auxiliaries) Inuit Confederation (Inuit Nunangat) Reinforcements from British Asian colonies (India, Hong Kong, Burma) --- 🧠 Commanders and Leaders Indigenous Coalition Forces Region Faction Commanders / Leaders Pacific Northwest Salishan Coalition Chief K'ulut, War Leader Sxwáyxwey, Tahltan Leader Ts’imgalt, Haida Chief Ga’liis Prairies Blackfoot, Cree, Dakota, Assiniboine Pîhtokahanapiwiyin (Poundmaker) (alternate earlier rise), Chief Mistahimaskwa (Big Bear), Dakota Commander Mahpiya Luta (Red Cloud - alternate appearance) East Coast Mi’kmaq, Abenaki, Maliseet Grand Captain Kji’saqamaw, Wabanaki Confederacy War Chief Odinikash Métis Red River Métis Louis Riel Sr. (survives longer, leads revolt), Cuthbert Grant Jr. Inuit Arctic Coalition Angutimmarik of Baffin, Tigullartoq from Kivalliq British Commanders Region Position Commanders Canada Overall Governor-General Sir Edmund Head (1854–1861) British Army Commander of Colonial Forces General Sir William Eyre Naval Command (Pacific) Rear Admiral Michael Seymour (transferred from China to North America in alt-history) Indian Reinforcements Army of British India General Colin Campbell (alternate deployment from India post-Opium War) --- 🪖 Military Strength Force Estimated Strength Salishan Coalition 35,000 warriors (light infantry, guerrilla, coastal raiders) Prairie First Nations 28,000 warriors (mounted and foot, stealth tactics) Eastern First Nations 24,000 warriors (forest guerrilla, riverine ambush forces) Métis Militias 8,000 (horseback riflemen, scouts, fur trade weapons) Inuit Forces 5,000 (ice-based raiders, Arctic scouts) British Army in Canada 40,000 (including colonial militias, regulars, and local auxiliaries) Royal Navy & Marine Units 8,000 sailors and marines British Indian Reinforcements 25,000 (infantry, artillery, sappers, sepoys) --- 🔫 Military Equipment Indigenous Coalition Seized British weaponry: Enfield Pattern 1853 rifles, Brown Bess muskets, pistols, field cannons (limited use) Traditional armaments: war clubs, spears, tomahawks, bows, and hide shields Guerrilla logistics: canoes (war and river), sleds (Inuit), pack animals Captured equipment: telegraph sabotage tools, powder kegs, British uniforms (for ambush) British Forces Standard Infantry: Enfield Pattern 1853 Rifles, bayonets Artillery: 6-pounder cannons, Congreve rockets, mortars Navy: Steam frigates, gunboats, ship-mounted cannons, explosive shells Logistics: Rail in Eastern Canada, naval transport, supply depots Indian Reinforcements: Sepoy infantry, elephant-logistics in port deployment, field artillery --- ☠️ Casualties and Losses Force Killed Wounded Captured / Missing Salishan Coalition ~9,000 ~14,000 ~2,500 Prairie First Nations ~7,000 ~10,000 ~3,000 Eastern First Nations ~6,000 ~8,000 ~1,200 Métis ~1,500 ~2,200 ~800 Inuit ~1,000 ~1,500 ~300 British Army & Militias ~18,000 ~25,000 ~5,000 British Indian Forces ~9,000 ~13,000 ~2,000 Royal Navy & Marines ~4,500 ~7,000 ~500 Civilian Impact: British settler fatalities (militia or collateral): ~3,000 Colonial administrative losses: entire provincial capitals in BC and the Maritimes captured or dismantled Mass evacuations of Loyalist and French-Canadian settler communities in areas overtaken by Indigenous control --- 🏁 Outcome (Alternate History Summary) British Withdrawal from all Canadian territories by 1864 following loss of reinforcements and colonial collapse. Formation of the Confederation of Indigenous Nations of Canada (CINC) under a council-based government blending First Nations, Métis, and Inuit governance systems. British Recognition and Treaty signed in 1865—"Treaty of Laurentian Reconciliation", ending formal hostilities and recognizing full Indigenous sovereignty. Britain retains limited coastal enclaves for naval resupply (Victoria, Halifax) but agrees to no future garrisons or colonization. Canada never joins the British Commonwealth, and instead becomes an independent neutral state with strong diplomatic and trade relations with France, Russia, and Japan. --- Would you like a map of the conflict zones, flag of the new Indigenous confederation, or council structure of the Indigenous-led government in this alternate timeline? Here is a well-structured council system for the Indigenous Confederation Government in this alternate post-British colonial Canada timeline, designed to reflect diverse representation, Indigenous sovereignty, traditional values, and unified governance: --- 🛡️ Council of the Indigenous Confederation (CIC) Also Known As: "The Grand Confederation Council" (GCC) System Type: Confederated Parliamentary Council (Rotational Executive with Traditional Governance) Capital: Neutral Territory (e.g., a sacred gathering site like Turtle Island Assembly Grounds) --- 🔰 1. The Grand Circle Council (Upper House) Purpose: Ancestral Council of Elders, Wisdom Holders, and Cultural Protectors Membership: 1 Elder Representative per major Indigenous group or cultural region Non-voting ceremonial seats for spiritual leaders (Shamans, Knowledge Keepers) Permanent voice roles for Métis and Inuit traditional leaders Duties: Custodians of oral law, treaties, ancestral knowledge Veto power on laws violating Indigenous customs or spiritual sovereignty Council for national healing, language preservation, traditional medicine Oversees the Treaty Renewal Commission --- 🏛️ 2. National Peoples' Assembly (Lower House) Purpose: Democratic Representation Across the Confederation Membership (Elected): Proportional representation based on population from: Salishan Bloc (e.g., Stó:lō, Nlaka'pamux, Haida, etc.) Prairie Nations Bloc (Blackfoot, Cree, Dakota, etc.) Eastern Nations Bloc (Mi'kmaq, Anishinaabe, Algonquin, etc.) Métis Bloc Inuit Bloc Duties: Drafts and passes federal legislation Budgetary oversight and infrastructure plans Coordinates defense and diplomacy Oversees intertribal commerce, fisheries, and land stewardship --- 🕊️ 3. Circle of Nations Executive Council Purpose: Rotational Indigenous Executive Leadership Structure: Tri-Chair System (Rotating Every 4 Years): One Chair from Western (Pacific) Nations One Chair from Prairie Nations One Chair from Eastern/Inuit/Métis Nations Elected by National Assembly but approved by Grand Circle Council Supported by: Chancellor of Defense and External Relations Chancellor of the Environment and Land Stewardship Chancellor of Language, Culture & Education Chancellor of Justice and Reconciliation Duties: Acts as the Head of Government Coordinates regional self-defense and international diplomacy Directs federal programs and national unity strategy Oversees council appointments --- ⚖️ 4. Judicial Tribunal of the Sacred Laws Purpose: Uphold Indigenous laws, sacred traditions, and constitutional balance Members: Seven appointed judges (elders and legal scholars) Representing all confederated blocs May include restorative justice councils in local regions Duties: Settles intertribal disputes, treaty interpretations Approves amendments to the Confederation Accord Investigates and arbitrates federal injustice or corruption --- 🌿 5. The Council of Guardians (Environmental & Land Authority) Independent Commission: Land Stewards from each ecological zone (coast, plains, tundra, forests) Oversees sustainable hunting/fishing, conservation, climate protection Works with tribal scientists and knowledge keepers --- 📜 6. Treaty Renewal & Foreign Relations Council Purpose: Facilitates renewal of peace treaties, trade deals, and boundary negotiations Maintains diplomatic missions to European, Asian, and other Indigenous nations --- 🌍 7. Regional Confederated Assemblies (Local Governance) Each region (Pacific Northwest, Prairies, Eastern Woodlands, Métis Homelands, Arctic North) retains a degree of autonomy via: People’s Lodge Council: Local village governance Regional Chiefs Assembly: Coordination on regional defense, healthcare, and education Sacred Fire Forum: Where youth, women, and marginalized voices are given priority in local policy creation --- 🛡️ Defense System: Sacred Sovereignty Corps Volunteer-based defense force from each nation (rotating service) Structured as defensive-only with local militia-style organization Unified under a Confederation Defense Agreement --- 🔺 Official Motto: “All Nations, One Heartbeat” (translated in multiple Indigenous languages) --- Would you like an illustrated chart or scroll-style organizational diagram for this council system? Alternate Timeline Report: Siege and Occupation Log of Indigenous Rebellion in Former British Canada (1861–1868) --- I. PACIFIC NORTHWEST / SALISHAN FIRST NATIONS THEATRE Major Cities and Towns Under Siege, Attacked, or Occupied: Victoria, Vancouver Island – Besieged by Lekwugen, WSÁNEČ, and Nuu-chah-nulth warriors; British fleet blockaded but repelled during Haida sea raids. New Westminster – Captured by Stó:lō-Squamish alliance; brief urban fighting in colonial district. Nanaimo – Coal facilities destroyed by coordinated Ditidaht-Heiltsuk raids; mass evacuation of settlers. Prince Rupert – Strategic Gitxsan-Haisla-Nisga'a operation; city held as northern command base. Fort St. James – Nado'ten and Dakelh forces lay siege for 3 months; garrison eventually surrenders. Kamloops – Captured by combined Nlaka'pamux-Secwépemc forces after major battle in Thompson River basin. Kelowna – Sylix forces sack colonial estate infrastructure; settler militia defeated. Bella Bella & Bella Coola – Kwakwaka'wakw and Heiltsuk naval raids on British supply depots. Notable Military Atrocities by British Forces: Cedar Bluff Massacre (1863) – 210 Wet'suwet'en villagers killed by Royal Marines during scorched earth campaign. Port Alberni Internment (1864) – 400 Tsilhqot'in and Nuu-chah-nulth elders and women held in makeshift camps, 78 die from dysentery. Fraser Valley Purge (1865) – 13 villages razed by British Indian Army regiment under Gen. Holbrook. Haida War Canoe Ambush (1866) – British Navy traps and shells ceremonial convoy near Haida Gwaii; 90 dead. --- II. CANADIAN PRAIRIES / PLAINS FIRST NATIONS THEATRE Major Settlements Besieged or Overrun: Fort Edmonton – Captured after four-month siege by Cree-Assiniboine-Ojibwa alliance. Fort Garry (Winnipeg) – Métis and Dakota (Sioux) units declare occupation; form Prairie Provisional Council. Calgary – Burned during retreat of British Indian Cavalry, later occupied by Blackfoot-Dene coalition. Regina – Strategic supply hub contested; switched control multiple times between 1865-67. Dark Events / Atrocities: Battle of Red Willow Creek (1864) – 312 Cree fighters and non-combatants killed in field encirclement. Métis Village Burnings (1866) – 11 communities razed by Anglo-Quebecois militias. Cree Starvation Winter (1867) – British blockade cuts food supply to Cree-held Fort Carlton; 800 perish. Mounted Gun Raids (1866) – British Gatling gun units massacre fleeing Dakota civilians near Moose Jaw. --- III. EASTERN WOODLANDS / EAST COAST FIRST NATIONS THEATRE Key Urban Centers Attacked or Besieged: Halifax – Major naval battle and land raids by Mi'kmaq and Maliseet warriors; British fort holds. Quebec City – Ongoing insurgency and sabotage by Anishinaabe, Odawa, and Nipissing agents; Métis tensions rise. St. John & Fredericton – Maliseet-Abenaki alliances assault trade posts and British barracks. Trois-Rivières – Algonquin ambush British arms caravan. Documented Atrocities: Restigouche River Executions (1862) – 46 Mi'kmaq rebels publicly hanged as warning. Wabanaki Forest Campaigns (1865) – British firebombings on hidden Abenaki villages. Métis Purge of Saguenay (1866) – 300 Métis killed by French-Canadian paramilitary reprisals. Naskapi Border Expulsions (1867) – Entire Naskapi community forced from Labrador interior. --- IV. ARCTIC / INUIT FRONT Inuit Settlements Attacked or Uprooted: Pangnirtung & Arviat – Seized by British marine landings; forced relocations south. Iqaluit (Frobisher Bay) – Inuit sabotage against British supply depot; retaliatory burnings ensue. Military Abuses and Human Rights Violations: Inuit Slave Trade Incident (1863) – Reports of captured Inuit families used as labor by Royal Engineers in Fort Churchill. Seal Ban Reprisals (1866) – British naval embargo on seal trade causes starvation in Baffin Island region. --- Estimated Casualties (1861–1868): Indigenous Coalition (All Theatres): ~28,000 Dead / 17,000 Wounded / 50,000+ Displaced British Forces (Including Colonial & Indian Army): ~16,000 Dead / 10,000 Wounded Settler Casualties (Civilian & Militia): ~7,200 Dead / 4,000 Wounded Conclusion: This rebellion, known later as The Great Unshackling, marked a transformative epoch in Turtle Island history. Despite the brutality of the British response, the Indigenous Confederation emerged, battered yet triumphant, forming a new sovereign nation rooted in the ancestral traditions and enduring resistance of the First Peoples. ---