James McKay: A Métis Builder of Canada

John Steckley teaches human studies at Hunter College in Toronto.

James McKay was an English Métis who calmed tensions between the Sioux
and the Métis during the Riel Rebellion of 1869–70. He also guided
the Palliser expedition across the prairies and became a successful
trader. McKay and his wife adapted well to the changes that would prove
so tragic for their French Métis brothers and sisters.

Best suited for students in Grades 4 to 7, this book provides a rich
supply of anecdotes and a realistic feel for the material culture of the
times. (You can almost smell the buffalo and taste the rubaboo.)
However, like so much of the material aimed at this age group, there is
no significant analysis of the social and political forces underlying
the conflicts discussed in the book, and the conflicts themselves are
downplayed. McKay himself is presented in hagiographic terms: “the
best known guide in the west”; “always inspired trust and
friendship”; “had the reputation of being the most celebrated
plainsman of the Northwest.”

This book belongs in school libraries across Canada—that is, until a
more critical and academically sophisticated biography of this important
but ignored figure comes along. Recommended with reservations.