Collection search - Scrip affidavit for Cook, Thomas; born: 9 March 1854; father: Joseph Cook; mother: Jane Ballendine; note: parents not in half-breed book = Demande de certificat pour Cook, Thomas; né(e): le 9 mars 1854; père: Joseph Cook; mère: Jane Ballendine; note: parents non mentionnés dans le livre des Métis

Throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the federal government of Canada used the term "Half-breed" to refer to people of mixed First Nations and European ancestries. This included the Métis Nation, a people who coalesced into a distinct nation in the northwest in the late 18th century.
Scrip was a certificate issued by the Department of the Interior which indicated the right of the holder to receive payment later in the form of money or land. The federal government distributed scrip to the Métis in exchange for their land rights, as a method of extinguishing their Aboriginal title to the land. The federal government also used scrip to distribute land to white settlers, including Original White Settlers, soldiers, and police who fought in the North West Resistance of 1885 (or North West Rebellion of 1885).