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Compulsively readable, this first social history of the opening up of the Canadian West is a triumph of historical detective work and gives us Siggins at the top of her game. While researching the biography of Louis Riel, Maggie Siggins became aware of a figure lurking in the background who had had a profound influence on the great Canadian reformer. This was his grand-mother Marie-Anne Lagimodière, née Gaboury. As Siggins’ research progressed, she came to regard Marie-Anne as the most exceptional Canadian woman of the nineteenth century. The perils of Laura Secord and Susanna Moodie paled in comparison, yet she remains largely unknown. Beautiful and rebellious, Marie-Anne was still unma...
The Canadian politician who was convicted of murder tells his story—and argues for his innocence. In 1984, Colin Thatcher was convicted of killing his ex-wife and sentenced to life in prison. The murder and trial provoked a national media frenzy, casting the once-prominent Saskatchewan politician as the villain. After serving twenty-two years, Thatcher was released and finally able to offer his own account of what happened from the time of the murder up until he left prison. Though firmly proclaiming his innocence from the start, he is now able to go behind the bureaucratic red tape and provide full disclosure, including evidence not seen at the trial, legal documents, and personal correspondence, ultimately questioning the public’s faith in local law enforcement, mainstream media, and justice.
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Scattered Bones is a story of the complicated, fragile and sometimes fatal relations between Indigenous people and settlers in Northern Saskatchewan in the 1920s. Aboriginal spiritual traditions are beginning to cross paths with the construction of a residential school, and ancient acts of violent vengeance are shaping the trajectory of events in the town 200 years later. Based on historical events, Siggins creates a fictional version of the real-life Pelican Narrows, weaving a colorful tale resplendent with its own cavalcade of dynamic, diverse characters - from greedy merchants to the well-meaning but ineffectual clergy - whose stories play out against the backdrop of a visit from a condescending celebrity writer. The conflicts between Aboriginals and settlers, Protestants and Catholics, young and old, traditional and progressive, material and spiritual, all shape life in the little Northern community. Ever eloquent, Siggins proves herself more than capable of creating compelling, thought-provoking fiction with Scattered Bones.
It all started with an R.H. King Collegiate class of ’61 reunion: 26 women meeting 30 years after their graduation. Siggins was struck by their wide range of fascinating life stories. These, after all, were the women who were born during the war, had come of age in the ’60s, and were changed by the women’s movement of the ’70s. They had all stood at the forefront of one of the greatest revolutions in history -- the emancipation of half the human race. Inspired by that reunion, Siggins set out to write the life stories of her classmates, using the emerging themes from these intense dramas as a gateway to explore women’s lives throughout history. The result is a compelling series of personal journeys linked by nothing less than an absorbing cultural history of women in the Western world, from antiquity to the present. A book that speaks powerfully to people of all ages -- and especially those of “the cusp generation” -- In Her Own Time is an inspiring, informative and wholly entertaining read.
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'A tense and tender portrayal of friendship and loss. Missing Ellen is beautifully written and completely addictive.' Laura-Jane Cassidy, author of Angel Kiss & Eighteen Kisses Ellen and Maggie have been best friends for as long as they can remember – sharing clothes, passions and secrets. When Ellen goes missing, Maggie feels completely alone. Looking back over the upheaval that led to Ellen's disappearance, Maggie tries to make sense of her friend's actions. At school and at home, she feels no one understands what she is going through – except maybe Liam, the boy next door who has always had feelings for Ellen. How will Maggie cope without her best friend? And where on earth is Ellen?
The blossoming of Métis society and culture in the 19th century marked a fascinating and colourful era in western Canadian history. Drawing from journals and contemporary sources, Irene Ternier Gordon presents a vivid account of Métis life in the area that is now Saskatchewan and Alberta. Here are the stories of the masters of the plains—Métis buffalo hunters, traders and entrepreneurs like Louis Goulet, Norbert Welsh and the legendary Gabriel Dumont. Many enjoyed lives of freedom and adventure, yet also faced heartbreak as their way of life came to an end. From the delightful details of marriage customs, feasts and fancy clothing to the sad consequences of the events of 1885, this book is a vivid chronicle of Métis life.
2022 Choice Outstanding Academic Title Shortlisted for the 2023 Saskatchewan Book Award for Scholarly Writing Cree and Christian develops and applies new ethnographic approaches for understanding the reception and indigenization of Christianity, particularly through an examination of Pentecostalism in northern Alberta. Clinton N. Westman draws on historical records and his own long-term ethnographic research in Cree communities to explore questions of historical change, cultural continuity, linguistic practices in ritual, and the degree to which Indigenous identity is implicated by Pentecostal commitments. Such complexity calls for constant negotiation and improvisation, key elements of Pent...
Eloh’, a Cherokee word, is usually translated by anthropologists as "religion," but it also simultaneously encompasses history, culture, knowledge, law, and land. In this provocative work, Jace Weaver interlaces these seemingly disparate meanings to form a coherent approach to Native American Studies. In nineteen interrelated chapters, Weaver presents a range of experiences shared by native peoples in the Americas, from the distant past to the uncertain future. He examines Indian creative output, from oral tradition to the postmodern wordplay of Gerald Vizenor, and brings to light previously overlooked texts. Weaver also tackles up-to-the-minute issues, including environmental crises, Native American spirituality, repatriation of Indian remains and cultural artifacts, and international human rights.