Arctic Journal

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.

These days it is commonplace to vilify missionaries for causing
irreparable harm to Native peoples in Canada. Lost in the emotional
outcry is a sense of the missionaries as real people. This fascinating
memoir sheds light on the changing postwar world of the Northwest
Territories in general and the soul of one missionary in particular.

Father Bernard Brown, who arrived in the Northwest Territories in 1948,
was an English-speaking American and thus something of a rarity among
the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in the north. With the enthusiasm of a
young man realizing a long-held ambition, he threw himself into the
challenges of learning new languages, mastering the art of driving a dog
team, and developing crucial carpentry skills. Arctic Journal records
his experiences in subarctic places like Fort Norman, Fort Franklin,
Uranium City, and Camsell Portage where he encountered a range of
northern characters and faced the rigors of northern life with good
humor, common sense, and apparently unfailing energy. The book ends in
1955, when he was transferred to the arctic mission of Aklavik; a
postscript promises a second volume to follow him there.

In addition to telling a good story, this book provides valuable
information about a time of dramatic change for the Dene. “Bern”
Brown describes the commercial fishery on Lake Athabaska and relates how
the Natives who knew the lake so well were reduced to crew members on
boats run by Icelanders from Manitoba. He blames day schools for drawing
women into the settlements where they were closer to their children but
increasingly distanced from their former life on the land. He describes
how old beliefs persisted alongside a fervent and heartfelt
Christianity. Although Brown is a man of strong opinions, he never
preaches; his stories are thought-provoking but also lively and often
funny.

This engrossing book, which is beautifully illustrated with photographs
and paintings by the author, is recommended for anyone with an interest
in the Canadian north.