Books About The Beothuk

[Daisy Hughlett]

BothMy Indian and Suliewey have been written to help decolonize settler narratives and shed light on past and present prejudicial perceptions. My Indian is being taught in grade schools and studied in university classes. The publisher of the books, Breakwater Books Limited, has been working proactively to help integrate the books into classrooms and become part of social studies curriculum, which is why the books are deliberately written at the junior high school level. My Indian even comes with a free comprehensive study guide, containing multiple resources on how the book can be contextualized for students through the different themes, cultural teachings, and historical elements the book depicts.

To expand on that, Sheila said she has visions of an Indigenous storytelling circle where people can work together collaboratively, having the opportunity and space to support one another. Both Chief Joe and Sheila hope the books will inspire others to tell their own stories without any trepidation.

Chief Mi'sel Joe is the author of Muinji'j Becomes a Man and An Aboriginal Chief's Journey. Chief Joe is considered the spiritual chief of the Mi'kmaq of Newfoundland and Labrador and has been the district traditional chief of Miawpukek First Nation since 1983, appointed by the late Grand Chief Donald Marshall.

Taz has worked withinthe broadcast journalism industry across Canada for about five years withvarious news agencies, such as Global News, CTV News, and CityNews 680. Prior to that, she completed herpost-grad in Journalism at Humber College in Toronto.

This astounding novel fully deserves to be called a saga. It begins a thousand years ago in the time of the Vikings in Newfoundland. It is crammed with incidents of war and peace, with fights to the death and long nights of lovemaking, and with accounts of the rise of local clan chiefs and the silent fall of great distant empires. Out of the mists of the past it sweeps forward eight hundred years, to the lonely death of the last of the Beothuk.

The Beothuk, of course, were the original native people of Newfoundland, and thus the first North American natives encountered by European sailors. Noticing the red ochre they used as protection against mosquitoes, the sailors called them "Red-skins," a name that was to affect an entire continent. As a people, they were never understood.

Until now. By adding his novelist's imagination to his knowledge as an anthropologist and a historian, Bernard Assiniwi has written a convincing account of the Beothuk people through the ages. To do so he has given us a mirror image of the history rendered by Europeans. For example, we know from the Norse Sagas that four slaves escaped from the Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows. What happened to them? Bernard Assiniwi supplies a plausible answer, just as he perhaps solves the mystery of the Portuguese ships that sailed west in 1501 to catch more Beothuk, and disappeared from the paper records forever.

The story of the Beothuk people is told in three parts. "The Initiate" tells of Anin, who made a voyage by canoe around the entire island a thousand years ago, encountering the strange Vikings with their "cutting sticks" and their hair "the colour of dried grass." His encounters with whales, bears, raiding Inuit and other dangers, and his survival skills on this epic journey make for fascinating reading, as does his eventual return to his home where, with the help of his strong and active wives, he becomes a legendary chief, the father of his people.

Bernard Assiniwi was a member of the Cree nation who devoted his life to studying and writing about Canada's native people. He lived near Ottawa and worked at the Museum of Civilization. He is the author of fifteen books, including La Saga des Beothuks, which was published in French in 1996, and won the Prix France-Quebec Jean-Hamelin.

Wayne Grady is a well-known author who lives near Kingston, Ontario. He has won the Governor General's Award for his work as a translator.

Reading List: With municipal, provincial, territorial and federal election campaigns underway at any given time in Canada, we decided to present a list of new and recently published books about Canadian political history.

Book Review: Ottawa and the provinces have long been at loggerheads, sharing a history replete with battles over power and money, trends towards unity or separatism, and deals struck to make this system of government work.

Book Review: In The Larder of The Wise, M. Anne Wyness, a member of the Vancouver Historical Society, takes readers through the life and times of James Inglis Reid, a Scottish immigrant who came to Canada in 1906 to seek his fame and fortune in the grocery trade.

Lewis Carroll's classic 1872 poem provides the context for this surreal 21st century rendering - complete with blood, guts and gore, a guardian angel and a happy ending. Jorisch's stark lines, strong colours and layered images will have enormous appeal for video-savvy adolescents who may be guided to discuss topics such as media influence, war and gender roles.

"Beware the Jabberwock," warns the Old Man, wearing a military hat and blue-grey trousers, while the Young Man, in a brown suit, sews dresses in the world of mimsy borogoves and eats dinner in front of the television. The Old Man's fears appear as full-screen projections of "the jaws that bite and the claws that catch."

The Young Man's war is seen in his giant shadow - like smoke from a smouldering fire - on a wall of graffiti. An angel figure joins him for a thoughtful time in the woods, which look like part of an enormous art show, before he faces the truly fearsome Jabberwock, whom he fights valiantly - with cartoon-style sound effects - under the sheltering wings of his angel.

As the Young Man returns home with Jabberwock's head in a basket, the bloody battle scene resolves into a pastoral setting; smoke rises from a farmhouse chimney, a woman walks her dog and a photographer rests his camera. On the Young Man's return the Old Man, who had exhorted him into battle, dies in a paroxysm of joy and is carried to the cemetery past empty mannequins and outdated images of war. A few mourners follow with a giant bouquet.

Reading The Best Country I got the feeling that Canada has been like one of those wonderful students whose work habits, skills and successes could be a model for others but who unfailingly shies away from the spotlight and remains in the shadow of more brash and confident students.

Secondary teachers looking for a book to spark discussions, debate and essay papers about Canada's history, domestic policy and its role in international affairs will find a veritable treasure trove: Laurier's pronouncement that Canada "shall fill the twentieth century," Trudeau's vision of a "just society," the Land Mines Treaty, the International Criminal Court, the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Das contends that a high standard of civilization depends on the advancement of human rights, security and development. He opposes the idea that a country's quality of life involves "building significant military capacity and using economic prowess to secure their own prosperity with scant regard for the progress of others."

He does not ignore Canada's inglorious past either. From the killing of Newfoundland's Beothuk to the policies of exclusion, such as the head tax on Chinese immigrants and the wartime internment of Canadians of German and Japanese descent, to the mistreatment of Jews, blacks, Sikhs and First Nations, it's all here.

One section - Building a Nation - presents theories about how the first peoples arrived here, then skips to French settlements established in 1604 and continues with the Acadian expulsion and the arrival of the United Empire Loyalists, black Loyalists, travellers of the Underground Railroad and the Irish.

Going West covers the building of the railway by Chinese workers and the movement of Icelanders, Ukrainians and Italians into the west. A New Century describes the Komagata Maru Incident, treatment of the Japanese during World War II, the arrival of war brides and people displaced during World War II.

Throughout, images of artifacts and art bring historical events to life and each chapter is followed by a two-page, four-colour Spotlight - most related to the preceding chapter but a few covering stand-alone topics. One - Come to Canada! - describes promotional schemes encouraging immigration.

The book includes a useful timeline of world events and Canadian immigration, a resource list of web sites and an index to specific topics. It is both a useful research resource and a good cover-to-cover read.

Students will love the easy-to-read text and colourful illustrations in this newly updated version of a Canadian history classic. Documenting past and present prime ministers, this book demonstrates a rich heritage of dynamic leaders - with timelines and biographies that bring our history to life.

The book begins with a chapter on government and our federal system. Elections, parliament and the House of Commons are reviewed. Prime Ministers are then listed with several interesting anecdotes about their time spent in office. Milestones during each term and major political issues of the day are noted.

This excellent reference book is beautifully produced and visually pleasing. Each page is generously and colourfully illustrated by Toronto artist John Mantha with large text laid out in columns for easy reading.

Sections - there are 24 in this deceptively slim book - range chronologically from native migrations to North America to space exploration. Colour-co-ordinated text boxes complement the main storyline.

The section on Jacques Cartier, for instance, includes a sidebar on Verranzzano (Cartier's immediate predecessor), a Milestone describing trade with natives, a profile of Marguarite de la Roche and a Did You Know on illnesses, as well as six illustrations and a map. A timeline and index are also included.

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