Synopses & Reviews
The story of the expansion of European civilization into the wilderness continues to shape perceptions of how Aboriginal people became part of nations such as Canada. This groundbreaking study subverts this narrative of progress and modernity by examining Canadian nation building from the perspective of a northern community and its residents. Drawing on decades of research and fieldwork, Patricia McCormack argues that Fort Chipewyan - established in 1788 and situated in present-day Alberta - was never an isolated Aboriginal community but a plural society that stood at the crossroads of global, national, and indigenous cultures and economies. The steps that led Aboriginal people to sign Treaty No. 8 and accept scrip in 1899 and their struggle to maintain autonomy in the decades that followed reveal that Aboriginal peoples and others can - and have - become modern without relinquishing cherished beliefs and practices. This meticulously researched study of the most famous and best studied of the Treaty No. 8 communities not only provides a window into the history of Canada and Alberta - it challenges the nature of history writing in Canada itself. Anyone interested in the history of First Nations, northern communities, or the way historians and local communities approach and understand the past should read this book.
Review
Founded in 1788, Fort Chipewyan has undergone many changes to its social, cultural, economic, and political landscape over the more than two centuries covered in this book. Archival documents, photographs, and maps enhance Patricia McCormack's comprehensive analysis of the "contact zone" in which First Nations people and settler society met, clashed, and grappled with each other in Alberta's oldest European settlement.
- Dr. Cora J. Voyageur, Sociologist, University of Calgary and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Member
Synopsis
The story of the expansion of civilization into the wilderness continues to shape perceptions of how Aboriginal people became part of nations such as Canada. Patricia McCormack subverts this narrative of modernity by examining nation building from the perspective of a northern community and its residents. Fort Chipewyan, she argues, was never an isolated Aboriginal community but a plural society at the crossroads of global, national, and local forces. By tracing the events that led its Aboriginal residents to sign Treaty No. 8 and their struggle to maintain autonomy thereafter, this groundbreaking study shows that Aboriginal peoples and others can and have become modern without relinquishing cherished beliefs and practices.
Table of Contents
1 Writing Fort Chipewyan History 2 Building a Plural Society at Fort Chipewyan: A Cultural Rababou 3 The Fur Trade Mode of Production 4 The Creation of Canada: A New Plan for the Northwest 5 Local Impacts: State Expansion, the Athabasca District, and Fort Chipewyan 6 Christian Missions 7 The Ways of Life at Fort Chipewyan: Cultural Baselines at the Time of Treaty 8 Treaty No. 8 and Métis Scrip: Canada Bargains for the North 9 The Government Foot in the Door 10 Fort Chipewyan and the New Regime Epilogue: Facing the Future Appendix Notes References Index