Wrestling with Colonialism on Steroids: Quebec Inuit Fight for Their Homeland

by Zebedee Nungak, Tagak Curley (Foreword)

For decades, the Inuit of northern Québec were among the most neglected people in Canada. It took The Battle of James Bay, 1971-1975, for the governments in Québec City and Ottawa to wake up to the disgrace. In this concise, lively account, Zebedee Nungak relates the inside story of how the young Inuit and Cree “Davids” took action when Québec began construction on the giant James Bay hydro project. They fought in court and at the negotiation table for an accord that effectively became Canada’s first land-claims agreement. Nungak’s account is accompanied by his essays on Nunavik history. Together they provide a fascinating insight into a virtually unknown chapter of Canadian history.

Genres: Nonfiction, Indigenous, Canada, History

112 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2017

Reviews

[Daniel Grenier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un livre qui devrait faire partie du cursus des cours d’histoire au secondaire. Il s’agit d’un témoignage, qui se laisse parfois un peu emporter par l’émotion, mais qui sait se faire convaincant aux endroits névralgiques. Si je ne m’abuse, une traduction en français est prévue pour l’année prochaine.

[Geoffrey Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An original account of the James Bay Agreement negotiations from an Inuit point-of-view. Zebedee Nungak blends harpoon-sharp comments about how the governments of the day behaved with a good dose of humour. Bravo Zebedee!

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

J’encourage tout le monde à prendre quelques heures pour lire ce livre et y réfléchir. C’est choquant de réaliser et d’apprendre toutes les choses que mon éducation québécoise a échoué de m’enseigner !

[Jaime M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A succinct perspective of years of hard work by the author and the organizations he helped create to get through the giants of the federal and provincial governments. There are some representative scenarios in the book and no Inuit female perspectives at all. I wanted to know more about how the policies created and laws navigated affected everyday Inuit life.