Women of the First Nations: Power, Wisdom, and Strength

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.

For many years, there has been considerable tension between feminist
community activists and academics, to say nothing of tension between
aboriginal people and the nonaboriginal academics who study them. In
1989, the editors of this volume attempted to bridge both those chasms
by holding a conference at the University of Lethbridge; this volume is
a selection of presentations from that meeting. Topics include history,
the arts, and contemporary sociology. The emphasis is on First Nations
women in western Canada and on the Moosonee and Six Nations Reserve in
Ontario.

Each author reflects the current ambivalence about recognizing the
strength and resilience of individual women while lamenting the sea of
colonialism and patriarchy that appears to be engulfing them. Some
articles, like those by Laura Peers on Saulteaux women and Sarah Carter
on prairie women in the early reserve years, reflect scholarly
innovations, while others, like Beverly Hungry Wolf’s “Life in
Harmony with Nature,” reflect an older tradition. Most of the essays
will be easily understood by nonspecialists, although Julia Emberley’s
piece on aboriginal women’s writing will be accessible only to those
familiar with the specialized vocabulary of poststructuralist culture
studies. Intended as a reader for university-level courses, the volume
includes a list of recommended reading on Canadian aboriginal women that
will be a useful tool for both students and general readers. (Many of
the essays also have footnotes or reference lists.)

Conference collections usually vary in quality, and this one is no
exception. On the whole, it succeeds. Its generally positive and hopeful
tone is a refreshing change from the very angry and bitter writing by
and about aboriginal women that has appeared in recent years. One hopes
that future collections will consider the aboriginal women of Quebec and
Atlantic Canada.