Louis Riel, seminary-educated in Quebec, wrote hundreds of poems, mostly religious in attitude. He was a prolific writer and correspondant; five volumes of his collected papers (one volume devoted to his poetry) were published by the University of Alberta.

The song by Dunn is largely nonsense; Riel's and the Metis' fight was against the settlers, mostly English, that the Ottawa gevernment wished to establish on the old Hudson's Bay Company lands, parts of which had been given to the Metis, both by deed and custom.

Riel had been to Washington, D. C., became an American citizen, and taught briefly at a school in Montana. He was never strong physically, had mental problems (his father placed him in an institution for a while).

A brief bio here: http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/riel/rielbio.html

Also see threads on Louis Riel.