Browse Books for Adults

In 1909 Captain John T. Walbran published one of the most beloved and enduring of all BC books, British Columbia Coast Names. Harbour Publishing celebrates the hundredth anniversary of that landmark work by presenting the first book to update Walbran's classic, Andrew Scott's Raincoast Place Names. Like its progenitor, Raincoast Place Names is much more than simply a catalogue of name origins because it tells the often fascinating stories behind the names and in so doing serves as a history of the region in capsule form. It is also a monumental work, twice the size of Walbran's and including more than three times as many places. Four thousand entries consider, in intriguing detail, the stories behind over five thousand place names: how they were discovered, who named them and why, and what the names reveal. It describes the original First Nations cultures, the heroics of the 18th-century explorers and fur traders, the gruelling survey and settlement efforts of the 19th century, the lives of colonial officials, missionaries, gold seekers and homesteaders, and the histories of nearly every important vessel to sail or cruise the coast.

The book also examines—for the first time—the rich heritage of BC place names added in the 20th century. These new entries reflect the world of the steamship era, the ships and skippers of the Union and Princess lines, the heroes of the two World Wars and the sealing fleet, Esquimalt's naval base and BC's fishing, canning, mining and logging industries.

Richly illustrated with photos and maps, this book is an essential reference work, a must-have guide for boaters and mariners and a standard companion for anyone interested in BC history. It also makes a fine shelf-mate for the Encyclopedia of British Columbia.

This resource provides an oppor­tunity for students to work with paper and colour, while integrating the concept of numbers into the learning and teaching process. The hands-on experience of being able to fold paper into dif­ferent shapes, patterns and designs, and add colour is an effective strategy to motivate students to learn math. The section, “The Star Blanket Making Process From the Sewing Perspective,” shows a step-by-step pro­gression of how to assemble a star blanket. Not only does it teach practical skills, it also teaches patience and builds positive self-esteem within the learner.

Educator Information
While the publisher of this work indicates it's a useful math resource, it has been expressed by educators that this is not a useful math resource.

When Blue Bird and her grandmother leave their family’s camp to gather beans for the long, threatening winter, they inadvertently avoid the horrible fate that befalls the rest of the family. Luckily, the two women are adopted by a nearby Dakota community and are eventually integrated into their kinship circles. Ella Cara Deloria’s tale follows Blue Bird and her daughter, Waterlily, through the intricate kinship practices that created unity among her people.

Waterlily, published after Deloria’s death and generally viewed as the masterpiece of her career, offers a captivating glimpse into the daily life of the nineteenth-century Sioux. This new edition features an introduction by Susan Gardner and an index.

Irreverently funny and brutally honest Governor General's Award-winning play about loss and redemption. Cast of 2 women and 4 men.

Wícihitowin is the first Canadian social work book written by First Nations, Inuit and Métis authors who are educators at schools of social work across Canada. The book begins by presenting foundational theoretical perspectives that develop an understanding of the history of colonization and theories of decolonization and Indigenist social work. It goes on to explore issues and aspects of social work practice with Indigenous people to assist educators, researchers, students and practitioners to create effective and respectful approaches to social work with diverse populations. Traditional Indigenous knowledge that challenges and transforms the basis of social work with Indigenous and other peoples comprises a third section of the book. Wícihitowin concludes with an eye to the future, which the authors hope will continue to promote the innovations and creativity presented in this groundbreaking work.

Educator Information
Table of Contents
Foreword (Richard Vedan)

SECTION 1: History and Theory
Thoughts Make Dreaming: Historical and Theoretical Aspects for Indigenous Social Work by Gord Bruyere (Amawaajibitang)
Bridging the Past and the Future: An Introduction to Indigenous Social Work Issues by Raven Sinclair (Ótiskewápíwskew)
Anti-Colonial Indigenous Social Work: Reflections on an Aboriginal Approach by Michael Anthony Hart (Kaskitémahikan)
Indigenous-Centred Social Work: Theorizing a Social Work Way-of-Being by Gail Baikie

SECTION 2: Practice
Dreaming Makes Action: The Practice of Indigenous Social Work by Gord Bruyere (Amawaajibitang)
A Holistic Approach to Supporting Children with Special Needs by Rona Sterling-Collins (Quistaletko)
Identity or Racism? Aboriginal Transracial Adoption by Raven Sinclair (Ótiskewápíwskew)
Beyond Audacity and Aplomb: Understanding the Métis in Social Work Practice by Cathy Richardson (Kinewesquao) and Dana Lynn Seaborn
Evolution and Revolution: Healing Approaches with Aboriginal Adults by Cyndy Baskin (On-koo-khag-kno kwe)
For Indigenous People, by Indigenous People, with Indigenous People: Towards an Indigenous Research Paradigm by Michael Anthony Hart (Kaskitémahikan)

SECTION 3: Traditional Knowledge
The Spirit of Dreaming: Traditional Knowledge for Indigenous Social Work by Gord Bruyere (Amawaajibitang)
Navigating the Landscape of Practice: Dbaagmowin of a Helper by Kathy Absolon (Minogiizhigokwe)
Kaxlaya Gvila: Upholding Traditional Heiltsuk Laws, Values and Practices as Aboriginal People and Allies. by Michelle Reid (Juba)
Gyawaglaab (Helping one Another): Approaches to Best Practices through Teachings of Oolichan Fishing by Jacquie Green (Hemaas, Moosmagilth, Ungwa, knewq Kundoque of the Helkinew clan, knewq Haisla, Kemano and Kitselas)

Conclusion by Michael Hart (Kaskitémahikan), with Raven Sinclair (Ótiskewápíwskew)
Closing Words
Notes
References

Additional Information
256 pages | 6.00" x 9.00"

Exploring a variety of topics-including health, politics, education, art, literature, media, and film-Aboriginal Canada Revisited draws a portrait of the current political and cultural position of Canada's Aboriginal peoples. While lauding improvements made in the past decades, the contributors draw attention to the systemic problems that continue to marginalize Aboriginal people within Canadian society.

From the Introduction: "[This collection helps to highlight areas where the colonial legacy still takes its toll, to acknowledge the manifold ways of Aboriginal cultural expression, and to demonstrate where Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people are starting to find common ground."

Contributors include Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal scholars from Europe and Canada, including Marlene Atleo, University of Manitoba; Mansell Griffin, Nisga'a Village of Gitwinksihlkw, British Columbia; Robert Harding, University College of the Fraser Valley; Tricia Logan, University of Manitoba; Steffi Retzlaff, McMaster University; Siobhán Smith, University of British Columbia; Barbara Walberg, Confederation College.

Suggested use: Grade 12 Law

Authenticity Note: Because its contributions from Indigenous scholars, this book is labelled as containing Authentic Indigenous Text.

Additional Information
436 pages | 6.00" x 9.00"

Building on the success of the first two editions, this volume briefly recaps the historical development and public acceptance of the concept of Aboriginal self-government, then proceeds to examine its theoretical underpinnings, the state of Aboriginal self-government in Canada today, and the many practical issues surrounding implementation. Topics addressed include: justice innovations, initiatives in health and education to grant greater Aboriginal control, financing and intergovernmental relations, Aboriginal-municipal government relations, developing effective Aboriginal leadership, Métis self government aspirations, the intersection of women’s rights and self-government, and international perspectives. Various self-government arrangements already in existence are examined including the establishment of Nunavut, the James Bay Agreement, Treaty Land Entitlement settlements, the Alberta Métis settlements, and many other land claims settlements that have granted Aboriginal communities greater control over their affairs.

This book is an interdisciplinary guide for practitioners, policy makers, and students interested in learning about government policy and the aspirations of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples. With the exception of three updated chapters, all of the material by the 31 contributors in this volume is new and original. Brief biographies of the contributors can be found on our web site.

Contributors Include: 

Yale Belanger is an assistant professor of Native American Studies at the University of Lethbridge where he divides his time as the department’s history and politics specialist while also teaching in the First Nations Governance Program in the Management Department. He is the author of Gambling with the Future: The Evolution of Aboriginal Gaming in Canada (Purich Publishing, 2006). 

Frances Abele teaches in the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University. She publishes in the areas of northern and Indigenous affairs, and has worked with Indigenous governments and organizations for the last three decades. 

Yvon Allard is an independent Aboriginal health consultant in Ottawa. As a member of the Manitoba Métis community, he has served as an advisor on health issues to regional and national Métis organizations. 

Colette Arcand is a fourth-year student majoring in Native Studies with a minor in Economics. Colette is a member of the Alexander First Nation in Alberta and a volunteer board member of the Friends of the Kipohtakaw Historical Foundation. 

Catherine Bell is a professor of law at the University of Alberta specializing in Aboriginal legal issues, property law, community based legal research, and dispute resolution. She has published extensively on Métis and First Nation legal issues including two books on the Métis settlements: Alberta’s Métis Settlement Legislation: An Overview of Ownership and Management of Settlement Lands and Contemporary Métis Justice: The Settlement Way. 

Brian Calliou is the program director for The Banff Centre’s Aboriginal Leadership and Management. Brian is a member of the Sucker Creek First Nation in north central Alberta and holds memberships with the Canadian Bar Association, the Indigenous Bar Association, and the Legal Archives Society of Alberta. 

Angela Cameron is a Ph.D. candidate at the Faculty of Law, University of Victoria. Her areas of research and writing include: restorative justice, criminal law, intimate violence, reproductive technologies, property law, and feminist legal theory. 

Larry Chartrand is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Ottawa. His area of scholarship is in the field of Aboriginal rights and in particular, Métis rights. He obtained his B.Ed. from the University of Alberta in 1986, his LL.B from York University in 1989, and his LL.M. from Queen’s University in 2001. He was Director of the Aboriginal Governance Program and Professor of Politics at the University of Winnipeg from 2004 - 2007. 

Ken Coates is Professor of History and Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Waterloo. He specializes in the history of the Canadian North, Indigenous-newcomers relations and contemporary Aboriginal political issues. His most recent work is A Global History of Indigenous Peoples: Struggle and Survival. 

Jo-Anne Fiske is Dean of Graduate Studies and professor of Women’s Studies at the University of Lethbridge. She has worked with Aboriginal and First Nations communities on social policy, health policy, human rights, and homelessness. 

Augie Fleras is associate professor of sociology at the University of Waterloo. He is the author of numerous books, including Social Problems in Canada (Third Edition) and Unequal Relations (Third Edition; with Jean Elliott) and Recalling Aotearoa(with Paul Spoonley). 

Jim Frideres is currently a professor of Sociology and the Director of the International Indigenous Studies program at the University of Calgary. He also holds the Chair of Ethnic Studies. He is the author of numerous articles and co-author with Rene Gadacz of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada, now in its 8th edition. 

Joe Garcea is a professor in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, where he teaches local government, public administration, and public policy analysis. His areas of expertise include municipal and intergovernmental relations. He co-authored with F. Laurie Barron Urban Indian Reserves: Forging New Relationships in Saskatchewan (Purich Publishing, 1999). 

Ailsa Henderson is assistant professor in the Political Science at the University of Toronto. The author of Nunavut: Rethinking Political Culture (UBC Press, 2007), she has published two books and more than twenty-five journal articles or book chapters on sub-state political culture in federal and multi-national states, and is the principal investigator of the Nunavut Social Attitudes Survey. 

James (Sa'ke'j) Youngblood Henderson is the research director of the Native Law Centre of Canada and teaches Aboriginal law at the College of Law, University of Saskatchewan. He was awarded the Indigenous Peoples’ Counsel (2005) and the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Law and Justice (2006). 

John Hylton has served as a chief executive, university educator, senior public servant, and consultant. He has served many commissions and inquiries in all parts of Canada, including the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and the Ipperwash Inquiry. He is currently active working with organizations to improve strategy, leadership, governance and performance. John was the editor of the first two editions of Aboriginal Self-Government in Canada (Purich Publishing, 1994, 1999). 

Robert Alexander Innes is a Member of Cowessess First Nation and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Native Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. 

Josee Lavoie is an assistant professor in the Health Sciences Program at the University of Northern British Columbia who previously spent 10 years working for Indigenous controlled primary health care services in Nunavut and northern Saskatchewan. 

Roger Maaka, Ngati Kahungunu, is head of the Department of Native Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. He sits on the Waitangi Tribunal enquiry into the Indigenous Flora and Fauna and Intellectual Property claim. His research interests include urbanization and Indigenous peoples, Native Studies as an academic discipline, post-treaty settlement development, the construction of contemporary indigenous identities, and indigeneity as a global social movement. 

W.R. Morrison is Professor of History, University of Northern British Columbia. He works on aspects of northern Canada history and is currently working with Ken Coates on a survey history of major Canadian court cases. 

Bradford W. Morse is Professor of Law, University of Ottawa. He was Research Director to the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba 1988-91; Chief of Staff to Minister of INAC 1993-96; legal advisor, consultant, and negotiator for many First Nations, national and regional Indigenous organizations, royal commissions, and governments in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand over the past 30 years. 

Val Napoleon is a member of the Saulteau First Nation in northeastern British Columbia and is of Cree and Dunnezah heritage. She worked as a community activist and consultant in northwestern B.C. for over twenty-five years. Since 2005, Val has been an assistant professor with the University of Alberta teaching in the Faculties of Law and Native Studies. 

David Newhouse is Onondaga from the Six Nations of the Grand River community near Brantford, Ontario. He is the first Principal of the Peter Gzowski College at Trent University and former Chair of the Department of Native Studies. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Native Studies and the Business Administration Program. 

John O’Neil is Dean of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. He has published more than 120 papers and reports on a variety of Aboriginal health issues, including self-government and health system development, cultural understandings of environmental health risks, and social determinants of health disparities. 

Terrence Ross Pelletier is former Chief of Cowessess First Nation and served as the Treaty Land Entitlement Coordinator for Cowessess during the band’s TLE process. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Educational Administration at the University of Saskatchewan. 

Michael Prince is Lansdowne Professor of Social Policy at the University of Victoria. Among his areas of research, he has collaborated with Frances Abele on numerous publications dealing with Aboriginal [Indigenous] government and Canadian federalism. 

Jeff Reading is a professor in the Faculty of Human and Social Development and a faculty associate with the Indigenous Governance Program at the University of Victoria. He is Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and his research has brought attention to issues such as disease prevention, tobacco use and misuse, and diabetes among Aboriginal people in Canada. 

Jean-Paul Restoule is assistant professor of Aboriginal Education in the Department of Adult Education and Counselling Psychology at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. He is a member of the Dokis First Nation. 

Harold Robinson is a member of the Métis Settlements General Council located in Edmonton, Alberta. 

Dahti Scott is currently studying at the University of Alberta where she is completing an undergraduate double major in Environmental Conservation Sciences and Native Studies. Dahti is a Tlicho Dene who grew up in the Northwest Territories. 

Gabrielle Slowey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at York University (Toronto) where she teaches courses in Aboriginal Politics. Her research focuses on issues of self-government, land claims, and non-renewable resource development. Field sites include northern Alberta, Yukon, NWT, James Bay and New Zealand.

Authenticity Note: Because of the contributions from Indigenous peoples to this work, it has been labelled as containing Authentic Indigenous Text.

This book is in a class by itself. Featured are dozens of full-color photos of both Indian and in-Indian made beadwork from museums, collections and today's marketplace. Instructions are accompanied by large, highly detailed, step-by-step color photos and illustrations. Four styles of beadwork are covered: loom, two needle applique, lazy stitch, and the gourd (peyote) stitch. Presenting both basic and advanced techniques, the author also includes detailed instructions on how to make and bead moccasins.

This book proposes a new pedagogy for addressing Aboriginal subject material, shifting the focus from an essentializing or "othering" exploration of the attributes of Aboriginal peoples to a focus on historical experiences that inform our understanding of contemporary relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples.

Reflecting on the process of writing a series of stories, Dion takes up questions of (re)presenting the lived experiences of Aboriginal people in the service of pedagogy. Investigating what happened when the stories were taken up in history classrooms, she illustrates how our investments in particular identities structure how we hear and what we are "willing to know."

Braiding Histories illuminates the challenges of speaking/listening and writing/reading across cultural boundaries as an Aboriginal person to communicate Aboriginal experience through education. It will be useful to teachers and students of educational and Native studies and will appeal to readers seeking a better understanding of colonialism and Aboriginal--non-Aboriginal relations.

Suggested Grades: 10-12
ABPBC

Taylor's powerful, haunting and incredibly entertaining stories in Fearless Warrior are a full frontal assault on stereotypes of all kinds--an edifying affirmation of humanity unlike anything else. More than anything else, these stories shine with a wisdom, an understanding of the human condition, that is rare among writers courageous enough to take on these themes.

Internationally acclaimed as a playwright, screen-writer, comic and sardonic commentator on the endless gaffs, absurdities and the profound and painful misunderstandings that continue to characterize social interactions between aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples, Taylor’s stories in Fearless Warriors are a full frontal assault on stereotypes of all kinds and an edifying affirmation of humanity unlike anything else in fiction.

Each of these stories is as remarkably different in terms of its unique narrative tone, origin and direction, as are the characters of his plays, making Taylor’s singular collection of fictions quite intentionally much more than the sum of their parts. By degrees dramatic, shocking, tender, chilling, affirmative and tragic, each story takes on a different cliché or “common sense understanding” of inter-racial and inter-cultural relations, all of them suffused with the incomparable wit, gentle and generous humour, mercilessly critical edge and profound emotional empathy of a master story-teller.

No quarter is given, nor is it taken—Native stereotypes of White culture are as fair a species of game for this writer as any other. Ultimately, each of these narratives becomes a bridge of understanding between cultures, giving its readers access to the seemingly inexplicable actions of characters at the distant edges of our imaginations—even just one of these stories, “The Boy in the Ditch,” does more to illuminate the tragedy of the pre-teen gasoline sniffing culture of Davis Inlet than any number of Royal Commissions will ever do.

Educator Information
Grades 10-12 BC English First Peoples resource for the units How Do We Define Ourselves and Place Conscious Learning - Exploring Texts through Local Landscape.

Additional Information
192 pages | 5.50" x 8.50" 

This publication is a welcome addition to the literature on the ancient craft of fingerweaving. Carol James, an accomplished Winnipeg weaver and teacher, has dedicated over 20 years to the art. Her knowledge and sash reproductions are based on the detailed study of historical artifacts and are housed in various heritage institutions such as the Manitoba Museum and the Musee de Saint-Boniface.

Relying extensively on the court transcripts from Delgam’Uukw v. British Columbia, her own research, and material provided by the Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs’ office, Dawn Mills paints a compelling picture of the Gitxsan relationship to the land and their community, and their court battle all the way to Canada’s Supreme Court to prove their Aboriginal right to land and self-government. Contrary to the position taken by many legal scholars, Mills argues that the trial judgment in the Delgam’Uukw decision opened up new opportunities for First Nations people to present evidence based on oral traditions that had not been previously accepted by the courts.

While the book focuses on the judgments rendered in the Gitxsan’s struggle in the courts and an analysis of the judgments and strategies utilized, it is more than a law book. Written to appeal to a wide audience, Dawn Mills passionately shows how reconciliation can be achieved between Canada’s First Nations and the various levels of government. The lessons to be learned from this book can be applied equally to all Indigenous communities in Canada and elsewhere.

Aboriginal peoples in Canada have diverse cultures but share common social and political challenges that have contributed to their experiences of health and illness. This collection addresses the origins of mental health and social problems and the emergence of culturally responsive approaches to services and health promotion. Healing Traditions is not a handbook of practice but a resource for thinking critically about current issues in the mental health of indigenous peoples.

The book is divided into four sections: an overview of the mental health of indigenous peoples; origins and representations of social suffering; transformations of identity and community; and traditional healing and mental health services. Cross-cutting themes include: the impact of colonialism, sedentarization, and forced assimilation; the importance of land for indigenous identity and an ecocentric self; notions of space and place as part of the cultural matrix of identity and experience; and processes of healing and spirituality as sources of resilience.

Offering a unique combination of mental health and socio-cultural perspectives, Healing Traditions will be useful to all concerned with the well being of Aboriginal peoples including health professionals, community workers, planners and administrators, social scientists, educators, and students.

Also available in hardcover.

Jo-ann Archibald worked closely with Coast Salish Elders and storytellers, who shared both traditional and personal life-experience stories, in order to develop ways of bringing storytelling into educational contexts. Indigenous Storywork is the result of this research and it demonstrates how stories have the power to educate and heal the heart, mind, body, and spirit. It builds on the seven principles of respect, responsibility, reciprocity, reverence, holism, interrelatedness, and synergy that form a framework for understanding the characteristics of stories, appreciating the process of storytelling, establishing a receptive learning context, and engaging in holistic meaning-making.

Additional Information
192 pages | 6.25" x 9.25"

Kiss of the Fur Queen is a powerful and beautiful tale of siblings and tricksters, culture and trauma, and finding yourself in a world that tries to tell you who you are.

Born into a magical Cree world in snowy northern Manitoba, Champion and Ooneemeetoo Okimasis are all too soon torn from their family and thrust into the hostile world of a Catholic residential school. Their language is forbidden, their names are changed to Jeremiah and Gabriel, and both boys are abused by priests.

As young men, estranged from their own people and alienated from the culture imposed upon them, the Okimasis brothers fight to survive. But wherever they go, the Fur Queen--a wily, shape-shifting trickster--watches over them as they fulfill their destiny to become artists.

Educator Information
Grade 11/12 English First Peoples resource for the unit Further Steps toward Reconciliation - Understanding Residential Schools through Text.

Note: This novel contains mature and challenging material (profanity, coarse language, depictions of sex, sexual abuse, violence, etc.). 

This resource is also available in French: Champion et Ooneemeetoo.

Additional Information
328 pages | 5.17" x 7.98"