Native Blood: Nursing on the Reservation

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.

In this gritty account of life on contemporary Indian reserves of the
northern prairies, readers are forced to confront the same ugly reality
that the author encountered during her six years of “outpost”
nursing. That reality is depicted through a series of vignettes that are
almost randomly presented yet make for reading that is as compelling as
though they formed as a structured narrative. The appalling living
conditions, alcohol abuse, and above all, brutal violence are familiar
themes, but the author’s tough, direct style brings them home in an
effective way.

Although the book ends with a story of dignity and strength, most of it
is negative and angry. Smith rails at male medical practitioners, the
bureaucracy of Indian administration, the media, and the failure of
systems like medicine and the courts to come to terms with both their
own problems and those of Native communities. As a feminist, she sees
many of these problems as rooted in a pervasive patriarchy. The
prognosis is not hopeful.

The book succeeds in drawing the reader into a nightmarish world of
violence, poverty, and hopelessness, but it is a very one-sided
depiction of Native life in Canada. The communities that have drawn
together to fight alcohol abuse, the personal achievements of
outstanding individuals like those honored in the National Aboriginal
Achievement Awards, and the everyday triumphs of local heroes are not
noted here. Nevertheless, the book would be a useful tonic for
idealistic young people considering a social service career in the
mid-north. There are ugly realities of which complacent Canadians need
to be reminded from time to time.