Moccasin Tracks: A Memoir of Mi'kmaw Life in Newfoundland

by John Nick Jeddore

John Nick Jeddore's richly detailed memoir begins when he was a boy in the 1920s and 1930s. His historical account makes a major contribution to our standing of life "on the country" and in Conne River, Bay D'Espoir, as well as what it was like to be confined to a tuberculosis sanitorium and to serve overseas in the Forestry Service during WWII. John Nick recounts a lifetime of following in his ancestors' footsteps and reflects on his attempts to reconcile that heritage with a changing social and cultural world. His book will serve as an important legacy for many generations of scholars and general readers.

173 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[J.N. Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, and all the stories and history in it. Very enjoyable read; humorous at times, and tragic at others. There's a lot that can be learned within these pages.

[Danielle Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure, I’m John Nick Jeddore’s granddaughter so my main bias is that I was able to relate to the narrator with greater ease than I normally do when following a storyline. I was also able to make a lot of connections to his teachings since I grew up in the same geography under similar cultural influences, albeit 2-3 generations in difference. The book can be read through many frames: as a community member reading about the truths and fictions that tie communities together; as a student of culture learning about the practicalities of maintaining a societal construct; as a teacher finding ways to explore tasks and activities through story-telling and experiential learning; and as an aspiring author who doesn’t know where to begin, maintain or complete a writing project (my grandfather struggled with this too and decided he would just jot down notes as memories and ideas came to him). The book was medicine to my aching soul and I am forever grateful I was able to tell him that.