Fort Chipewyan and the Shaping of Canadian History, 1788-1920s

Download or read book Fort Chipewyan and the Shaping of Canadian History, 1788-1920s written by Patricia A. McCormack and published by UBC Press. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 411 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of the expansion of civilization into the wilderness continues to shape perceptions of how Aboriginal people became part of nations such as Canada. Patricia McCormack subverts this narrative of modernity by examining nation building from the perspective of a northern community and its residents. Fort Chipewyan, she argues, was never an isolated Aboriginal community but a plural society at the crossroads of global, national, and local forces. By tracing the events that led its Aboriginal residents to sign Treaty No. 8 and their struggle to maintain autonomy thereafter, this groundbreaking study shows that Aboriginal peoples and others can and have become modern without relinquishing cherished beliefs and practices.