Indian Country: Inside Another Canada. Rev. ed.

Christine Hughes is a policy analyst with the Ontario Native Affairs
Secretariat.

This book, originally published in 1990, has been updated with an
epilogue written in 1991 after the demise of the Meech Lake Accord and
the summer of the standoff in Oka, Quebec. It will appeal to readers who
are interested in obtaining a nonscholarly overview of the living
conditions and contemporary issues facing residents on several Indian
reserves across Canada.

Krotz recounts his visits to five First Nation communities representing
Cree, Mohawk, Kwakiutl, Maliseet, and Ojibway peoples from Norway House,
Man.; Kahnawake, P.Q.; Cape Mudge, B.C.; Tobique, N.B.; and Onigaming,
Ont. In these chapters, Krotz relates some of the economic, social, and
political issues facing each First Nation. His reports of conversations
with chiefs, band administrators, elders, and other residents provide
the reader with a glimpse of the diversity among First Nations across
Canada. At the same time, the reader also finishes the book with an
understanding of issues common to life on Indian reserves, including the
pervasiveness of politics, the desire for self-governance, and a growing
sense of frustration tempered with optimism.

The substantive community profile chapters are interspersed with short
interviews written in a question/answer format with Thomas Berger, Lloyd
Barber, Keith Penner, and Georges Erasmus. All but the latter are
non-Natives who have been involved in Canadian–Native issues, such as
land claims and self-government. Erasmus was the National Chief of the
Assembly of First Nations when interviewed by Krotz.

The strength of this book lies in Krotz’s reporting of the opinions
and visions of Native peoples across Canada. Although there are no
footnotes, maps, illustrations, or bibliography, Krotz’s descriptive
language and candid observations ensure that Indian Country will appeal
to a wide audience of general-interest readers.