books aus 22 - Wednesday, December 26, 1990 - North Shore News Books examine a thorny issue — native claims retelling North American Indian and Inuit tales: | ast week we looked at several of many recent books fascinating, entertaining and often instructive stories that have been part of the native peoples’ rich oral tradition for centuries and perhaps millenia. This week we take a more serious tack with an examination of two important titles dealing respectively with native land claims in British Columbia and at- tempts by the church and state to eradicate vital components of native culture in the province. The land-claims issue is a thorny one, generating a great deal of anger, hatred and even racism on both sides as various native groups and associations battle with pro- vincial and federal governments over what the former view as nothing less than the theft of their territories. Here in British Columbia the debate is particularly acrimonious with 80 per cent or more of the province's land area and water resources Subject to land claims — claims that appear to have legal validity. It is hardly surprising then, given the scope of these demands and their potential impact on B.C.’s economy, that virtually everyone today has an opinion of some sort on them — but how many of us actually have a comprehensive grasp of what's involved and the reasons for the string of native blockades which sprouted across the province in recent months? (t was this lack of an informed understanding of the complexity of the land claims situation that led Paul Tennant, an associate pro- fessor in the political science department at the University of British Columbia, to write what amounts to the first comprehen- sive overview of this dilemma. Aboriginal Peoples and Poli- tics (UBC Press; 395 pp.) won't win any prizes for its entertain- ment value, but it does provide a clear and easily understood survey of the events and policies of the past 150 years that have created the current climate of frustration, suspicion and fear. Tennant traces the land claims question back to its roots in the middle of the last century, pro- viding a calm and reasoned history of native aspirations and the gov- ernment policies that have culmi- nated (some might say inevitably) in today’s skirmishing inside and outside the province’s court rooms. Aboriginal People and Politics is essential reading for anyone with a genuine desire to fully un- derstand the scope and nature of ANNA WYMAN School of Dance Arts Mary-Lou Brien jazz Lee Kwidzinski Ballet Neil Wortley Modern Dance for all age *Pse-registration - 2, °Classes stan Jan. 7¢ *Jazz, fap, modern & ballet For more info. 926-6535 FOUDS 34, Jon. 1-5pm book review the B.C. land claims issue. It isa landmark book that makes a valuable contribution to the histo- ry of the province and the evolu- tion of 2 situation that will ultimately have a tremendous ef- fect on the lives of all B.C. resi- dents. eee The past few years have seen a startling amount of information emerging on the abuses of native children in residential schools, triggering a broader and deeper scrutiny of the treatment of natives and their cultures in Canadian society. Authors Douglas Cole, a Simon Fraser University historian, and Ira Chaikin, a Vancouver-based writer and researcher on native affairs, have joined forces to examine yet another facet of what many have called the “cultural genocide’’ practised by legislators and Chris- tian missionaries since the arrival of Europeans in the New World. An Iron hand Upon The People (Douglas & McIntyre; 230 pp.; $29.95) is a fascinating and - sometimes saddening story of the lobbying by Catholic, Anglican and Methodist missionaries, in concert with other Church figures, politicians and Indian agents. that resulted in the banning of Nor- thwest Coast potlatches by the federal government in 1885. To religious zealots and legislators t the potlatch was a bar- barian institution blamed for much of what “‘ailed’’ native society and prevented natives from “evolving” into constructive members of society. To the native groups themselves, the potlatch was perhaps the single most important facet of their culture, a means of establishing and reaffirming kinship ties, an essential component in the cele- bration of births and marriages and the mourning of loved ones, as well as the means of maintain- ing the hierachy of tribal authority. With the banning of the pouatch, they key social regulatory device of its practitioners, the disintegration of native culture and society was inevitable as Cole and Chaikin make the reader painfully aware. A system that had developed over thousands of years was destroyed with the stroke of a bu- reaucrat’s pen. It would be difficult to imagine a parallel in non-native societies, but the equivalent might be the outlawing of all religious and secular celebrations and prohibi- tions against all election practices. In An Iron Hand Upon The People, Chaikin and Cole turnish a first-rate account of the impact of the potlatch law, complete with the rationales of its proponents and the hardships suffered by the native community. The authors have elevated this tragic story above a mere exercise in historical hindsight and-breast- beating by including the views and statements of those involved, gleaned from numerous refer- ences. All of which makes for a com- pelling and highly informative piece of B.C. history, but not one without a rather annoying and avoidable flaw. Chaikin and Cole, though writ- ing for a general audience, seem to have overlooked the fact that their readers are not all trained an- thropologists or sociologists. Terms such as “‘ambilineal’’ and “‘matrilineal,”” among others, are not part of the general public’s lexicon. The authors (and arguably their editor or editors) should have recognized this by adding a short glossary of terms to the text. Apart from this one oversight, however, An fron Hand Upon The People is a well-executed book and one |. can recommend without hesitation. PERFORMANCE CAR STEREO ee Paul Carroll, Owner © Loudness control (auto) DCR-5170 Auto-reverse Cassette Receiver ° Auto-reverse mechanical deck © 14W#14W IKHZ. 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