Aboriginal Self-Government in Canada, 3rd Edition

“Aboriginal Self-Government in Canada: Current Trends and Issues, 3rd Edition”
Edited by Yale D. Belanger
Published by Purich Publishing Ltd.
Review by Judith Silverthorne
Price $45.00 ISBN 3 978-1895830-323

The third edition of “Aboriginal Self-Government in Canada” is an academic work. Like its predecessors, it presents a detailed and thorough analysis of the self-governance issues as they are unfolding in Canada. Edited by Yale D. Belanger, it has a forward by John H. Hylton, who was the editor of the first two editions. Policy makers, students and self-government practitioners will find this extensive volume of immense value.

Belanger has gathered 19 comprehensive essays by 31 scholars and politicians to explore the practical side of a functioning self-government. The collection contains three updated chapters and the rest contain new and original material. The book is organized into five sections with section one covering the basic introduction to self-government as it understood in contemporary times. The beginning chapters include a recap the historical development and public acceptance of this concept. Then this impressive collection continues with the state of Aboriginal self-government in Canada today. The distinguished contributors go on to present an examination of the theories and the many practical issues surrounding its implementation.

These issues are related to social problems and policies, criminal justice, community services, employment and job training, finance, the land base of government, women’s rights and concerns, and Métis political structures. Topics addressed also include: initiatives in health, financing and intergovernmental relations, Aboriginal-municipal government relations, developing effective Aboriginal leadership, Métis self government aspirations. There are also comments on the intersection of women’s rights and self-government, and international perspectives. Some of the chapters are devoted to education, such as those that include Aboriginal education in Australia.

Various self-government arrangements already in existence are also examined. Some of these include the establishment of Nunavut, the James Bay Agreement, Treaty Land Entitlement settlements, the Alberta Métis settlements and others that have granted Aboriginal communities greater control over their affairs. Anyone interested in learning about government policy and the aspirations of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples will find this book a comprehensive guide.

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I Am Hutterite

I Am Hutterite
By Mary-Ann Kirkby
Published by Polka Dot Press
Review by Judith Silverthorne
$21.95 ISBN 978-0-9783405-1-3

Fascinating, sincere and moving are only a few of the words to describe “I Am Hutterite.” Throughout this insightful memoir, Mary-Ann Kirkby transports the reader into the complex lifestyle of her heritage, which is one that is normally hidden to the outside world. She does it in a way that is intriguing, perceptive and sometimes humorous.

She starts by chronicling the family background of her grandparents and parents and their lives on Hutterite colonies in Canada. She weaves in information about the early history of this unique Eastern European culture and their five hundred year old traditions. Candidly, she continues her story, sharing the experiences of her daily life in the Hutterite colonies where she grew up.

Her clear, authentic story makes one almost feel part of her life and to feel like they know all of the characters personally. Detailed descriptions add a richness that can only have been known by someone living the communal life.

What makes this story even more vivid is her use of the traditional language, which she intersperses in the text. Common words and terminology are used and explained in an unobtrusive way that adds more depth to the story. Her insights also provide an understanding of the Hutterite belief systems and values. Outsiders can understand how her family struggled to conform to the colony life and what led to them leaving it behind.

The descriptions of the challenges they faced starting their new life are just as real and honest. Ten year old Mary-Ann and her six siblings must deny their heritage in order to fit in the ‘outside’ farming community where they live. As she and the rest of her family strive for acceptance and understanding, Mary-Ann has to reinvent herself and become more worldly, more ‘English.’ Mary-Ann Kirkby’s narrative of these times are painful and poignant, but always real. By the time the story ends, one has discovered incredible information and understanding of a strong culture. One has come to empathize with Mary-Ann, which makes it a story that one is not soon to forget.

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR VISIT WWW.SKBOOKS.COM

The Joy of Travel II

The Joy of Travel II
By Darlene Ingram Kidd
Published by Darlene Ingram Kidd
Review by Judith Silverthorne
Price $10.00 ISBN 0-98113000-3

The Joy of Travel II is an eclectic mix of random stories, poems and recollections. They span from the early 1900s to the present day. Author Darlene Ingram Kidd gathered these memoirs as ones that were special to herself and her associates. Those who like ‘down home’ stories will find many to which they will relate. These anecdotes and poetic jottings may also trigger memories of a reader’s own.

Although they are not in any particular sequence, nor do they follow anyone in particular, the individual entries do have familiar names woven throughout the length of the book. Some are about people who are related, while others seem about those more distant. Light-hearted reading, this collection features travel adventures and misadventures. Some take place close to home in rural Saskatchewan. Others are in different parts of the globe in intriguing and historical spots.

There are also entertaining stories about relationships, and those about hometown experiences and special events. Common and unique vistas, prairie landscapes and world heritage sites are all featured. Life’s idiosyncrasies, coincidences and instances of particular note find their way into this diverse compilation.

This book is sequel to the Joy of Travel. Many may already be familiar with this cheerful writing style and brand of amusing tales. The author provides a wide selection of insights into travelling to different countries. She notes the positive and negative side of her experiences. Other stories relay the unexpected, the unfamiliar, and the wonder of what one may encounter while travelling. By reading this collection, one may even be convinced that travelling is something to undertake for the sense of adventure.

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR VISIT WWW.SKBOOKS.COM

Prairie West School Division: A Rural Legacy

“Prairie West School Division: A Rural Legacy”
by Jeanne Caswell
Published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing
Review by Elizabeth McGill
ISBN 10 1-894431-07-3

History buffs will be delighted. Young people, accustomed to Ipods and cell phones as their constant companions, will be incredulous. Everyone in between will be entertained by Jeanne Caswell’s book “Prairie West School Division: A Rural Legacy.” Her book chronicles the early days of the education system in the Swift Current area through to the contemporary schools of today. In 1905 when Saskatchewan became a province, there were no rural schools around Swift Current. By 1925, more than 100 schools had been opened.

Seven chapters and five appendices give the reader an insider’s perspective. The “Teaching Experience” chapter outlines the responsibilities of a teacher in a one-room school. The work load was tremendous. Aside from providing direct instruction for Grade 1-8 students, the teacher marked assignments for Grade 9 and 10 students taking correspondence courses. Ratepayers in Beaver Flat School District #4021 complained that teachers expected far too much money for teaching. In the depression years of the 1930’s, ratepayers could not afford salaries of $10 per month.

Computer technology was not invented. Most schools did not even have a telephone. Looking after the children’s physical welfare was part of the job description. In a blizzard, students spent the night at the school rather than relying on their horses to get them home safely. Teachers hauled coal and got the stove going before classes. One teacher, standing too close to the Quebec heater, burnt a hole in the back of her skirt.

In spite of no technology or teaching aids other than a blackboard (chalk allotment was one piece per day), students and staff have fond recollections. The school became the hub of the farming community. Dances, church services, recruiting meetings during World War 1, fowl suppers, Christmas concerts, and summer picnics took place at the school. Many teachers were young women teaching on permit. Some left after a short time, being unable to manage the responsibility and isolation of their teaching positions. Neighbourhood bachelors, eager to change their marital status, anticipated the arrival of the new teacher. Blumenhof School #4089 added a second classroom in the 1940’s. As the new foundation was being poured, the students threw the school strap into the cement. At King’s County School #4428, students used thistles to build forts. Part of the entertainment was setting fire to your rivals’ fort! Caswell’s book, full of humorous anecdotes, celebrates the past paying homage to visionaries who believed that education is the passport to the future.

Emry’s Dream: Greystone Theatre in Photographs and Words

“Emrys’ Dream: Greystone Theatre in
Photographs and Words”
Written by Dwayne Brenna, with photos by
numerous photographers
Published by Thistledown Press
Review by Shelley A. Leedahl
$29.95 ISBN 978-1-897235-27-0

If you’ve ever enjoyed live theatre in this province, chances are that at least one of the actors was an alumnus of The University of Saskatchewan’s longstanding Drama Department – Canada’s and the Commonwealth’s first degree-granting drama department — and performed at its Greystone Theatre.

Variety shows and choruses had been performed at the U of S since 1909, but when Emrys Jones, a journalist, director, actor and educator, took the Drama Department’s helm in 1945, Greystone Theatre’s curtains rose on a new era of superbly directed and acted live theatre, and that tradition of excellence continues to the present.

Current Greystone Theatre director, Dwayne Brenna – known to many as a writer, actor, and “Eddie Gustafson” on CBC SK Radio — has orchestrated a history of Greystone with essays and black and white archival photographs that reveal the theatre’s finest hours — and some of its darkest – in “Emrys’ Dream: Greystone Theatre in Photographs and Words.”

The Thistledown Press book opens with a proclamation: “This is a
celebration.” Indeed, the accounts within do feel celebratory, for some sixty years later, Emrys’ dream of having a Drama Department on the prairies is still being answered.

Anyone involved in the arts knows that financial and political struggles often abound, and Brenna does not shy away from sharing some of these challenges in this beautifully produced book. Perhaps the most pressing issue for any theatre company is the acquisition of suitable space. In 1949, an RCAF hangar
was transformed into a 200-seat theatre for stage productions that would “serve the community of Saskatoon as well as the University and its students.” Actors including Frances Hyland, Kim Coates, Roy Romanow, Susan Wright and Eric Peterson (who looks like a teen in the photo of his performance in “Picnic”) graced its stage.

The book is flush with images that “embrace the Greystone’s history through fictitious lives lived onstage and real lives lived in dressing rooms and foyers.” I enjoyed Brenna’s accounts of a supposed ghost “roaming the [hangar] late at night and frightening unwary students actors.” The building was prone to flooding, and there’s a wonderful photo of students guiding a canoe through the hallways. Brenna himself experienced two floods (“… a couple of years’ worth of lectures had to be rewritten.”)

The author highlights Greystone’s various directors, including Tom Kerr, who brought in professional actors as mentors, and took 11 students to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to stage two plays. Despite a last-minute venue shift and scant audiences, they were awarded an esteemed “Fringe First” award.

I was impressed by the credentials of the faculty, by the diverse and challenging plays produced, and by how many Greystone alumni have gone on to professional careers in acting.

Dwayne Brenna’s done his research from the inside out, and has given this reader a new appreciation for the art of theatre, and all those who make it happen. This book is an inspiration.

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR FROM THE
SASKATCHEWAN PUBLISHERS GROUP WWW.SKBOOKS.