Native Chiefs and Famous Metis

by Holly Quan

Book by Holly Quan

Genres: History

128 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Taveri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite an informative book about five outstanding characters of Canada's early history around confederation and how the native people were treated poorly and dishonourably. The Indians gave up their land and way of life for promises of rations, which in some years were cut back. Makes one wonder if the Treaties signed were valid if the Canadian Government didn't hold up their side of the deal. It was a time of turmoil and demise of the buffalo. Some tribes even tried to make a go of it south of the border into the USA but that didn't work out. We (Canadians) like to think we treated our indigenous people better but there were misunderstandings and bad intent that led to massacres and injustices. To be fair the NWMPolice did eradicate the illiicit whiskey trade that was harmful to the Indian Culture and their families.

[Paul Roman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poetic names such as Assiniboine, Crowfoot, Crowchild, Blackfoot, Shaganappi, Deerfoot, Huron or Algonquin remind us of Canada history as it relates to North American aboriginals (Indians); nowhere more so than in central Canada where close to 50% of present aboriginals lives. For many people today, not much is signified by those names. But only recently, some of our grandfathers have seen original aboriginal life style, traded goods with them, sometimes feared them. This recent history is vividly reminded to us by brief and simple narrative of Holly Quan in Native Chiefs, and Famous Métis. The book talks of the difficult period when hunter-gatherer lifestyle – tough and free – was made finally impossible in North America by the clash of virtually stone-age society with modern society.

[Sami Al-Khalili · Rating 2 out of 5]

This may be good for a preliminary book for secondary school but not for an adult.

I enjoyed reading it as it felt as if it were being read aloud but informatively, it lacked depth.

[Andrew Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, this book is complete Riel slander. At the end of the introduction, Quan claims that Riel was defeated in the Red River Rebellion. Okay, I guess Manitoba exists because he lost, then. And in each of the stories each Chief is so clearly wise because he chose not to participate in the Northwest Rebellion. Well maybe if they had said yes, Riel might have actually won! It was a damn close one and if Crowfoot had decided to have the entire Blackfoot nation join, there might have been a victory. Ah, but it was oh so wise to know that the Rebellion was doomed from the start.

Second, this book upholds the Native Chiefs as some sort of moral role models that we can look up to and then paints them as horrible people. Did you know that Big Bear was very generous? And what evidence do we have? Well, when he would steal horses from others, he would give many of them away to his friends. Not so generous to the people he stole the horses from, now is he!? And Crowfoot, known as the peacemaker because of his ability to keep peace between the Cree and the Blackfoot people. And look just how peaceful he was, we're told. He didn't like to go on raids. Well, he let his son go on raids but he stayed out of it. Well, then there was that one time that his son was killed while raiding and Blackfoot went on a raid and killed a few people to avenge his son. Truly, what a peacemaker he must be!

I realize that there are probably cultural nuances that I don't understand. I am sure that there is a way to view Big Bear as generous and Crowfoot as a peacemaker but there is no attempt at all to explain that I, a white man, don't understand the subtleties of the way things were in that particular place at that particular time for those particular people. I mean, they sell these things in gift shops so ignorant white folk like myself are prime target, I feel like 'Amazing Stories' doesn't just get to assume I have a certain amount of cultural literacy about Indigenous affairs in the nineteenth century.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great! Would definitely read again and recommend to others!