Bearskin Diary

by Carol Daniels

Raw and honest, Bearskin Diary gives voice to a generation of First Nations women who have always been silenced, at a time when movements like Idle No More call for a national inquiry into the missing and murdered Aboriginal women. Carol Daniels adds an important perspective to the Canadian literary landscape.Taken from the arms of her mother as soon as she was born, Sandy was only one of over twenty thousand Aboriginal children scooped up by the federal government between the 1960s and 1980s. Sandy was adopted by a Ukrainian family and grew up as the only First Nations child in a town of white people. Ostracized by everyone around her and tired of being different, at the early age of five she tried to scrub the brown off her skin. But she was never sent back into the foster system, and for that she considers herself lucky.From this tragic period in her personal life and in Canadian history, Sandy does not emerge unscathed, but she emerges strong-finding her way by embracing the First Nations culture that the Sixties Scoop had tried to deny. Those very roots allow Sandy to overcome the discriminations that she suffers every day from her co-workers, from strangers and sometimes even from herself.

Genres: Indigenous, Canada, Fiction

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2015

Reviews

[Megalion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another piece of history that I didn't know about.

In Canada, there was an action that came to be known as "The Scoop" where thousands of Aboriginal babies were taken from their mothers and put into foster care. Taken because the mothers were "unfit". But of course in tragic irony, most of the children suffered greatly, being forced into cheap slave labor or a life without love in the system.

Our fictional child of The Scoop is named Sandy. She was lucky as an Ukranian family took her in as a foster and soonly adopted her. A rare true adoption of the heart.

But she's a Cree child in a white world. Racism torments her so greatly that at 4 years of age, she near scrubs her skin off with a steel brush trying to scrub away the brown.

"Baba [grandmother] had lived through intolerance herself. At six years old she had arrived in Canada with her family only to be placed in an internment amp as enemy aliens of their new country. The First World War had broken out and the Canadian government had implemented the War Measures Act. People of Ukranian descent were ostracized and subjected to bigotry, stripped of their rights and placed in camps. Baba had told the story when Sandy was a teenager. Sandy remembers thinking it absurd that something like that could happen in Canada, and wondering why nothing about it was taught in school. But her grandmother assured her it indeed was real. Ukranian traditions were spat upon, as was their language and way of life - the same as what had happened to the indigenous peoples of Canada."

Fascinating indeed. This made me particularly pleased to have stumbled across this book as I'm 1/4th Ukranian but know nothing of my heritage. My family name was shortened to Zuk at Ellis island.

Anyways, the story is mostly about the adult Sandy, navigating a career as a reporter where she's not only facing the barrier of being a woman but also a Native woman.

Her bosses are open about the fact that she was hired to fill in "color". She isn't offended and uses the opportunity to prove herself a good reporter regardless of gender or color.

Growing up, her adopted family got her books about the people she came from but she reaches adulthood having no more contact with her natal culture than books.

Naturally, being tasked with reporting on stories involving Native Americans slowly brings her more in contact with the actual thing and she has to find her way and place among it all.

This book stands out to me in a way similar to the Book of Negroes... introducing to me bits of unpleasant history that I had never heard of. Book of Negroes was about slaves in America but this time about the ones who went into Canada, and signed up for the opportunity to "return" to Africa. Same as Orhan's Inheritance clued me into the Armenian genocide of 1915. Where is that in the history books?

Bearskin Diary is very good but much "lighter" fare than the two other books mentioned. It takes place in a contemporary time and it's more of a celebration of finding one's way back to family.

A scene in the book: Kyle is a white blond man, Sandy's cameraman. He's good friends with the local Natives and spends a lot of time with them.
"You're a wannabe." Someone once mocked him when he went to his first spiritual ceremony with Amos out at the rez. Naturally it made Kyle uncomfortable because it was true. He'd sometimes wish he'd been born Native instead of white. What he'd learned from Amos and his family felt right. Kyle endured the name-calling until one day Amos spoke up afer overhearing a slur. "Wannabe what? Whole?Spiritually enlightened? Shit man, don't be such a jerk. Everyone has the right to honour the Creator,"Amos scolded. That happened at a round dance. The group of teens who mocked Kyle apologized. Amos reassured Kyle, "As long as your heart is good, I'll help anyone find their way back to the Circle. Who knows, maybe you were an Indian in a previous life." Amos explained that Aboriginal people who discriminate are no better than the racist whites. "I can never figure out why some do that. Exclusion keeps us apart. The only way we can truly move forward is to understand each other."

Amen Amos.... Amen.

DEFINITELY Recommended.

[Tara Million · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a couple of things I liked about this book - the cover art and some of the historical information about the sixties scoop. But there were alot more things that I didn't like! For one thing, the writing was poor - any book with a sex scene that includes a phrase like 'his sumptuousness is throbbing and hard' just doesn't cut it for me. I felt like the writer should have just written an straightforward auto-biography rather than try to fictionalize her life. I would have enjoyed reading that more because I think her life is interesting but as a novel it just never hooked me.

[Hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

An emotional memory of how Sandy found herself. Written in a way that can be easily a true life encounter. This is the first book based in Saskatchewan that I have read and it was great to be able to read something so close to home.

[Eli lit pour la cause · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Billy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touchant portrait d'une femme qui doit se battre contre les préjugés et se battre pour prendre sa place en tant que femme dans un monde d'hommes ... Un récit qui vous happe dès les premières pages. Beau moment de lecture, d'autant plus que ce roman est d'actualité et nécessaire !

[Magdelanye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book is far too self conscious to work easily as fiction, told in a matter of fact journalese, its themes and the information it documents about the 60's scoop is necessary and important. My slight sense of disappointment that this book didnt quite match the power of my favorite native male writers was knocked out of me when I saw Carol opening a session at the Sunshine Coast Writers festival last summer. Her power and presence were electrifying, and her reading woke up her sleepy little book, and this reviewer as well.

It nice to be in love with someone. It's better to be in love with life.....It's our scars that define who we are. p246

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This book resonated with me for a number of reasons-

1. It was set in my home province of Saskatchewan
2. The main character was a reporter (So am I)
3. The main character was a First Nations person adopted by a non-indigenous family (I grew up with a FN adopted brother)

I really enjoyed this book, which is about the trials and tribulations of one native woman and how she comes to find her spirituality. It felt fresh and new. There were some stylistic writing choices that I found odd, but the story itself was very interesting to me.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't say that this is the most well-written book I've ever read but it's so great to hear an aboriginal voice and its provides some valuable perspective on the experience of young aboriginal women in Canada and for that reason I would recommend it.

[Mary H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book would have greatly benefitted from several more edits and re-writes. Even moving away from the third person would have made a huge difference and made this much more powerful.

The novel starts strongly, but the writing style shifts as soon as Daniels (Golden Eagle) is trying to educate her audience. There are many important topics that are touched on in this book, including the Sixties Scoop and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, but none of them is fully followed through - which is unfortunate.

A quick Google search shows that this book has many autobiographical features, which perhaps is why it reads like it does.

[Maude · Rating 3 out of 5]

j’ai beaucoup aimé ce roman qui relate la vie de sandy à travers ses origines autochtones et le racisme qu’elle subit.

[Anastasia · Rating 2 out of 5]

When the writing was good it was very good. Unfortunately the in between parts did not connect smoothly. She tried to cover too many points in too little time losing focus making the story jumbled and difficult to follow. Because off this I lost interest in the main character and her plight with being separated from her culture. There was one good quote in the entire book about racism being not owned by one culture alone and that we all need to let go of those sentiments to move forward.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this one down! I haven't read a novel this quickly in a long, long time.

So Canadian, so relevant. Excellent narrative arc, great pacing, likable characters. Rich with powerful messages and deeply raw truths, yet carries enough hope and optimism of the future. A rare female, First Nations heroine. This is not fancy literature, and that is exactly why I love it because it allows it to be relatable and accessible.

Tells the story of one child put into the foster care system during the "sixties scoop" and her rediscovery of her ancestral culture as an adult. Themes of adoption, foster care, family, culture, tradition, belonging, racism, police enforcement, prostitution, media, journalism, non-traditional female career, love, alcoholism, rite of passage, friendship, sisterhood, and the Canadian prairies.

Highly recommended and should be included in any list of must-read Canadian novels of 2016.

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sandy est une jeune femme d'origine Crie qui a été victime de la rafle des années soixante (Sixties Scoop), une politique gouvernementale de 1960 à 1980 qui a arraché plus de seize milles enfants autochtones pour les vendre à des Blancs. Le récit nous transporte deux décennies plus tard, lorsque Sandy tente de faire sa place en tant que journaliste, dans un milieu majoritairement masculin et plein de préjugés envers les autochtones. Peau d'ours c'est l'histoire d'une jeune femme qui essaye de trouver sa place dans le monde alors qu'il lui manque tant de repères mais qui finira par renouer avec ses origines.

J'ai trouvé le style d'écriture à la fois sobre, sensible et bouleversant. On en saura très peu sur la famille Ukrainienne "adoptive" de Sandy, mis à part sa Baba et je me demande quelles parties de ce livre sont autobiographiques. Une lecture que je recommande à tous et toutes pour vous sensibiliser à l'histoire des Nations autochtones.

[Madeleine LeBlanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'aurais aimé donné une étoile de plus pour le sujet, celui d'une femme autochtone à la recherche de ses racines et victime de racisme dans son travail de journalisme en Saskatchewan. On a besoin d'apprivoiser la réalité du monde autochtone actuel, d'entendre leur voix, et ce livre est une bonne occasion de le faire. La narration omnisciente reste cependant toujours un peu distante par rapport aux personnages et j'ai eu un peu de mal à me sentir concernée par tout ce qui arrive. L'émotion est comme absente. Difficile alors de connecter avec cette femme qui vit plusieurs drames sans jamais faire de réelle introspection. On reste plutôt en surface des choses. Le tout est par ailleurs facile et agréable à lire.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read. Carol writes flawlessly about the power about the power of Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities coming together. The power of knowing who you are. The power of accepting there are other ways of ceremonies on our treaty lands. That the lands, ceremonies, and traditions are truly open to anyone to who has an open heart to respect, learn and grow. While written with many negative situations that truly happened and continue to happen in our Canadian society, the underlying message Carol leaves the reader is hope. Hope that like Sandy and Kyle - Indigenous or non-Indigneous - we can and we will find this common ground and build positive relationships in our places we call home.

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bearskin Diary is a story that needs to be told and retold - it's a story that scars our Canadian landscape and heritage and is inked in the recollections and clips of the Saskatchewan Starlight Tours and corruption in local police forces. This narrative captures similar stories, but focuses on police officers and missing Indigenous women. Sandy Pelly, an Indigenous reporter, uncovers the truth of what is happening to these women, but through the story uncovers truths about herself (who she is and where she is from).

The 3.5/5 for writing style only, as I feel it could have been deeper, as early chapters often ended in cliffhanger-style formats. The book is fast-paced, and moves through the evolution of Sandy's life and discovery rapidly. Highly recommend read for content.

[Emily Princi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel. It touched on lots of important topics (the 60’s scoop, racism, cops treatment of Indigenous people, Indigenous stereotypes, Indigenous culture..) and the impacts they have. I enjoyed how they would talk about the topics in a simplified version to give you insight into what Sandy went through and if you wanted to learn more, you could. This is just a starting point. I loved the amount of detail in the novel and how Sandy had lost her culture as a result of the 60’s Scoop, but regained it after a set of downfalls. I found the story long at times, but overall very well done.

[Erica Schott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m embarrassed to say this book was about yet another piece of North American history that I had never heard about…

“The Sixties Scoop” is a dark and painful chapter in Canada's history. Between the 1960s and 1980s, Indigenous children were removed from their homes by child welfare authorities and many were placed in foster care or adopted out to non-Indigenous families. (Www.canada.ca)

This books follows Sandy- who was scooped from her mother in the hospital and placed in foster care and adopted by a Ukrainian family. Although she had a loving family she experienced a great deal of racism throughout her life.

Excellent book- should be added to high school curriculum.

[stef · Rating 5 out of 5]

C’est un livre tellement émouvant. Il constitue un témoignage des effets que la rafle des années 60 organisée par les gouvernements canadiens ont eu sur les enfants Autochtones au Canada. L’auteure soulève beaucoup de problèmes de la société saskatchewannaise. Le personnage principal, Sandy, arrachée à sa mère parce qu’elle était célibataire raconte les traumatismes liés au racisme et au sexisme, la discrimination à l’école, au travail et dans la vie quotidienne. L’ampleur de la douleur, du désespoir et de la haine de Sandy pour elle-même sont décrits avec brio. Un véritable voyage dans la peau d’une victime de cette loi injuste. Très émouvant !

[Azucena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giving it 5 stars for the story and getting the point across, as well as making me feel connected and care about the characters and the different angles from which you can see someone’s life.

As for the book itself, I am not in a position to criticize or even refer to the writing style with the proper lingo so I’ll just leave it as it being different than most novels I’ve read (it’s meant to be a diary too so the pace and ups/downs not feeling familiar compared to other novels might be why ‘diary’ is in the title).

[Ania · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the first part of the novel to be poorly written and I just couldn't understand some of the choices made by the author. My outlook changed a bit when I learnt Bearskin Diary is not so much a fictitious story as a fictionialized account of Daniels. The story she recalls is a very important one. I was familiar with the 60s Scoop, but the whole phenomenon as well as its effects definitely need more exposure, so I'm glad the book exists. It was very informative.

[Paula Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read this book for my book Club in March, the theme being International Women's day.

I enjoyed the story but in retrospect I would have liked to hear more of the point of view of Sandy's mother who had to give her baby up, what that would have been like for her.

Still, it was very well written and eye opening.

[Wayne Inkster · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent story of finding personal and cultural identity. So many hurdles placed in front of Sandy... some by society because of the colour of her skin... others because of her gender... and the biggest ones by herself that were placed by self-doubt and fear.

[Deborah Sowery-Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel about a First Nations woman is different from others that I have read in that she has been adopted out of her community and struggles with being in two worlds at times. Themes of discrimination, foster care, government treatment of First Nations people.

[Josie Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it, it has a really good message and i was engaged through out the whole book. there was never any portions where i was bored and wanted to stop reading. There was lots of turns i did not expect and i even learned a couple things, Awesome.

[Raney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful novel about Truth. The story of a woman's journey to find herself, against the backdrop of the evils wrought in our country, past and present. An important read for every Canadian.

[Margaret Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent aboriginal writer.

[Alexis Armit · Rating 5 out of 5]

A holistic retelling of the traumas associated with the 60s scoop and on-going racism and the impact of (re)connecting with one’s culture.

[Lynda Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow. Really liked this book.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are so many issues a First Nation writer could address that this author did well to stay focussed on her main objective.