Aboriginal Peoples of Canada: A Short Introduction

Geoff Hamilton, a former columnist for the Queen’s Journal, is a
Toronto-based freelance editor and writer.

This book reproduces the section on First Nations in the Encyclopedia of
Canada’s Peoples (1999). As its editor states, it “offers coverage
of the Algonquians/Eastern Woodlands, Algonquians/Plains,
Algonquians/Subarctic, Inuit, Iroquoians, Ktunaxa, Métis, Na-Dene,
Salish, Siouans, Tsimshian, and Wakashans, as well as the many nations
within these larger groupings.” J.R. Miller’s introduction discusses
previous accounts of Aboriginal heritage; the precontact era, and early
contact with Europeans; the history of treaties, agreements, and
government policy; and contemporary political activism. Each chapter
focuses on a particular linguistic group, and is typically organized
into such divisions as identification and history; economic life;
family, kinship, and social organization; culture and religion;
education, language, and communication; politics; and intergroup
relations and group maintenance. Annotated suggestions for further
reading conclude the chapters.

Those who wish to avoid the cost (or heft) of the larger encyclopedia
will no doubt find this book attractive. Although the chapters are
written by several different authors, the writing seems uniformly clear,
fair-minded, and lucidly arranged, providing an excellent overview of
the topic and a valuable reference tool. Magocsi is quite correct in
asserting that the book “provides a sense both of the unity and of the
individual distinctiveness of Canada’s many aboriginal peoples.”
Particularly useful for students and researchers are the chapter
bibliographies, which guide the curious to more specialized material. A
glaring and major drawback of the book, however, is the absence of any
maps. The welter of geographic information presents an obstacle to quick
and accurate comprehension (even for those familiar with the regions in
question), and maps detailing historical and contemporary migration
patterns would have provided some badly needed clarity.