#21: Find a book that delves into Indigenous local histories.

One of my go-to books for the history of Fort Chipewyan, the oldest settlement in Alberta, is Dr. Pat McCormack's Fort Chipewyan and the Shaping of Canadian History, 1788-1920s "We like to be free in this country".

Fortunate to have had Dr. McCormack as my Indigenous Health professor in University, I first had got to see her passion for Fort Chipewyan and telling its history. More so, the people of Fort Chipewyan and how continuous Euro-Canadian settlement starting in 1788 impacted Indigenous societies in the area. The Indigenous societies themselves were made up of "highly diverse citizenry - culturally, ethnically, racially, and linguistically" (pg. 210) who stood up for their nationhood and "did not placidly accept" (pg. 210) Canadian colonialism.

Fort Chipewyan had always been more than just a trading post and a transhipment point. From its earliest days, it has also been
a local industrial centre, where craftsmen, some of them skilled tradesmen, and other residents manufactured items for post use
and for sale to Aboriginal hunters. (pg. 133)

It was also the social gathering centre for the North, tea dances (both Cree and Chipewyan) would bring people in, as well as the opportunity to play hand games. Ralph and I traveled to Fort Chipewyan a few weekends ago to see the winterfest handgames tournament. One of the judges, who's nickname was Blinky, explained that handgames are a way that people would settle their differences, sitting across from one another, communicating, in a jovial environment ultimately resulted in positive relations. Dr. McCormack describes them as a "display of group affiliations and intergroup boundaries within the broader social community". I'm not sure if she is suggesting that it:

• develops competition, with a negative effect on intergroup relations and increased bias, or that it
• has a positive effect through interaction, which helps to reduce anxiety and prejudice.

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Fort Chipewyan Winterfest 2018

I lean more toward the latter, akin to Blinky's explanation that handgames are a form of dispute resolution. In terms of traditional laws, there are many other examples all throughout Dr. McCormack's work. Having such an in-depth account told from the perspective of Indigenous people (allyship) is such a gift to developing a better understanding of Indigenous societies and how they have prevailed despite colonialism or capitalism. Very much looking forward to reading her other works:

• Recollecting: Lives of Aboriginal Women of the Canadian Northwest and Borderlands (collection of essays)
  
• The history of Fort Chipewyan from the 1920s to the 1970s (not yet published)
  

Notes:

1. Check out the first chapter of Dr. McCormack's work here.
   
2. There are two schools of thought on intergroup contact and interaction, for more info click here.