Daniel Paul: Mi'kmaw Elder

by Jon Tattrie

Born in a log cabin during a raging blizzard on Indian Brook Reserve in 1938, Mi'kmaw elder Daniel N. Paul rose to the top of a Canadian society that denied his people's civilization. When he was named to the Order of Canada, his citation called him a "powerful and passionate advocate for social justice and the eradication of racial discrimination." His Order of Nova Scotia honour said he "gives a voice to his people by revealing a past that the standard histories have chosen to ignore." But long before the acclaim, there was the Indian Agent denying food to his begging mother. There was the education system that taught him his people were savages. There was the Department of Indian Affairs that frustrated his work to bring justice to his people. His landmark book We Were Not the Savages exposed the brutalities of the collision between European and Native American civilizations from a Mi'kmaq perspective. The book sold tens of thousands of copies around the world and inspired others to learn history from an indigenous point of view. He shone a light on Halifax founder Edward Cornwallis through newspaper columns and public debates over two decades, calling on Nova Scotia to stop honouring the man whose scalping proclamations were an act of genocide against the Mi'kmaq. Now, for the first time, here is the full story of his personal journey of transformation, a story that will inspire Canadians to recognize and respect their First Nations as equal and enlightened civilizations.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

196 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2017

Reviews

[Jim Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good authorized biography of Daniel Paul, who is best known for the seminal We Were Not The Savages, a history of the Mi'qmak people.

[Wendell Hennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

January 31 2018 the Cornwallis Statue and pedestal were removed from a Halifax Park opposite the train station, where it had stood since 1931. This book was published in 2017 and begins with the early years in the life of Daniel Paul. His happy but impoverished childhood and his continual collection of intelligence and wisdom as he moved from job to job, accounting, Indian Affairs, Human Rights Commission, Journalist. He sought to give the Mi'kmaw greater pride and knowledge of their history of peaceful earth loving First Canadians. He effectively lobbied to have the Cornwallis name removed from streets, schools, rivers, claiming that the name of a racist murderer is inappropriate on any public structure. Awarded The Order of Canada, The Order of Nova Scotia, honorary degrees from several universities, he earned the respect of Canadian Society and his efforts and his book We Were Not The Savages have helped to correct the understanding of Nova Scotian history that has been perpetuated since 1750. An astounding man.

[Cher Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed learning more about Daniel Paul, a Mi’kmaw author and what an important contribution he has made in the struggle to have a Mi’kmaw voice, the lion’s voice, present in the sharing of a story previously only told by the hunter. I would recommend this book to All Canadians but especially to Nova Scotians to give them a broader perspective and help people understand that sometimes certain hunter’s statutes needs to be replaced with the Lions.