Native Peoples: The Canadian Experience

Kerry Abel is a professor of history at Carleton University. She is the author of Drum Songs: Glimpses of Dene History, co-editor of Aboriginal Resource Use in Canada: Historical and Legal Aspects, and co-editor of Northern Visions: New Perspectives on the North in Canadian History.

In this new edition of Native Peoples, editors Morrison and Wilson have
retained most of what has made the book so useful in the past and added
material that will ensure its continued relevance for those who would
like to better understand the issues behind the headlines or develop a
better appreciation for the Aboriginal peoples of Canada.

Curiously, the National Library of Canada officially catalogues this
book as “History,” but it is very clearly anthropology in method,
scope, and assumptions. It is a collection of 26 essays on what the
editors call “representative groups” from across the country; all
but two of the pieces are written by anthropologists. New to this
edition are half a dozen essays, revised and annotated lists of
recommended reading, new lists of recommended websites, a new page
layout and improved maps, sidebars that address key issues, more on
contemporary political debates, and more self-reflexive discussions on
how anthropologists think and work. As the editors point out in the
introduction, this is not an “encyclopaedic” reference, but there
has been an attempt to select topics from across Canada, with the
notable exception of the Labrador Innu, Yukon First Nations, and the
large Ojibwa population.

The essays are based on and organized by the culture-area concept,
although each author takes a unique approach. Some essays are
straightforward descriptions of annual rounds, social organization, and
material culture, while others tackle more abstract topics like religion
and philosophy. All are written by either leading scholars in the
particular topic or rising “stars” in the field. Obviously, the book
will continue to be a useful resource for anthropology students, but
other readers with an interest in First Nations issues will find it
helpful as well.