The People: A Historical Guide to the First Nations of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba

Michael Payne is head of the research and publications program, Historic
Sites and

Archives Service, Alberta Community Development, and co-author of A
Narrative History of Fort Dunvegan.

Good, thoughtful popular histories of First Nations are hard to find,
and since most Canadians have a sketchy knowledge, at best, of Native
cultures, this book is intended to serve as a brief introduction to the
history of 18 First Nations that have over the last 300 years inhabited
some portions of what are now Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba Ward
admits in his introduction that the length of the book required making
sweeping generalizations and putting emphasis on a few salient features
of otherwise rich and complex cultures. For example, Ward passes over
the Crow and Shoshoni in a couple of paragraphs and the Sekani in
slightly more than a page. Although other peoples are covered in greater
depth, this kind of lightning tour of history will appeal more to people
with little or no previous exposure to the history of Canada’s First
Nations than to students or scholars working in the field.

That said, however, this is a useful, accessible, and attractive book
that will help to make more people aware of the variety and
distinctiveness of First Nations, and challenge some of the stereotypes
of “Indians” that remain all too common. The strongest sections of
the book cover the Cree, the Assiniboine, and the Blackfoot Confederacy,
the most studied of the First Nations of western Canada. The book also
includes a short bibliography, which introduces other, more specialized
sources to readers who want to learn more about specific aspects of
Native history and societies.