Western Canadian Native Destiny: Complex Questions on the Cultural Maze.

Frits Pannekoek is an associate professor of heritage studies, director
of information resources at the University of Calgary, and the author of
A Snug Little Flock: The Social Origins of the Riel Resistance of
1869–70.

Prof. John Friesen, a United Church minister, as well as a professor at the University of Calgary, and his wife, Virginia, a sessional instructor at the University of Calgary and part-time instructor at various First Nations colleges, as well as director of Christian Education with the Morley United Church, have crafted an excellent post-secondary primer on Aboriginal issues. Their insights are based on several decades of working and living with the Stony people. It is clear that they understand very well the complexities, power, and value of Aboriginal culture. What is also important to note is that for the most part they have been able to park their own religious beliefs in their analysis.

They provide one of the most balanced insights into all of the key issues facing Aboriginal peoples in Canada, albeit from a non-Aboriginal perspective. The 15 chapters deal with Aboriginal social status, indigenous knowledge and spirituality, the urban experience, residential schools, cultural identity, the importance of storytelling, the role of women, Aboriginal art, Aboriginal leadership, and land claims. Each chapter outlines the various Aboriginal perspectives on the issue and guides us through the various dimensions of current thinking. Each of the chapters also includes a well-considered list of recent writings.

While the book is clearly sympathetic to the Aboriginal experience, it also provides its own perspectives on several key issues. For example, in the chapter dealing with the residential schools, the authors do acknowledge that some elders would argue that their own experiences at the schools were positive ones. Where appropriate to an understanding of a key issue, they also encourage the elders to speak for themselves.

Some will argue that the Friesens describe rather than analyze and that, at best, they bring current knowledge into a single source. This may well be true; however, they do an outstanding job of bringing all the material and debates between two covers in a well-organized way. For that reason alone, I would have no hesitation at all in recommending the volume as a must-read primer for any post-secondary student attempting to understand the Aboriginal context of Canada today.