Review by Choice Review
Chute offers a rare and meticulously documented study of indigenous political leadership--an aspect of aboriginal life seldom given this kind of attention, especially in the anthropological literature. The author traces the career and legacy of a brilliant strategist, Shingwaukonse (Little Pine) at Garden River, Canada West, in the 1800s--background for some of the milestones in treaty-making and restoration of aboriginal rights. Chute presents a refreshingly unromantic portrait of the Hudson's Bay Company, which "counteracted coastward movement" by thwarting meetings with other traders and whose "major inducement used to encourage bands to remain stationary was liquor." The Garden River leaders "forced Ottawa to recognize the bands' special relationship to land and resources" and, consequently, were able to retain most of their land base. This required skillful manipulation of religious missionaries, government negotiators, and resource development. The quest for balance between Ojibwa traditions and pressures from missionary, business, and government continues today. In the 1920s, led by Shingwaukonse's heirs, the Garden River First Nation negotiated a precedent-setting agreement requiring a local quarrying company to provide their community with jobs, benefits, and comanagement opportunities. Recommended for upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty. V. Alia; Western Washington University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
