Best Left as Indians: Native-White Relations in the Yukon Territory, 1840-1973 (McGill-Queen’s Studies in Ethnic History)

by Kenneth S. Coates

The indigenous population, Coates stresses, has not been passive in the face of expansion by whites. He argues that Native people have played a major role in shaping the history of the region and determining the relationship with the immigrant population. They recognized the conflict between the material and technological advantages of an imposed economic order and the desire to maintain a harvesting existence. While they readily accepted technological innovations, they resisted the imposition of an industrial, urban environment. Contemporary land claims show their long-standing attachment to the land and demonstrate a continued, assertive response to non-Native intervention.

Genres: Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

See also Ken S. Coates

Coates, K. 1956-
Coates, K. S. (Kenneth Stephen), 1956-
Coates, Ken, 1956-
Coates, Ken S. (Kenneth Stephen), 1956-
Coates, Kenneth, 1956-....
Coates, Kenneth S., 1956-
Coates, Kenneth Stephen 1956-

Ken Coates (born in Alberta in 1956 and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon) is a Canadian historian focused on the history of the Canadian North and Aboriginal rights and indigenous claims. Other areas of specialization include Arctic sovereignty;[1] science, technology and society, with an emphasis on Japan; world and comparative history; and post-secondary education.

Reviews

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very important book about the relations between the natives and the non-native in the Yukon territory. It is quite heavy on the history, but it is a story that needs telling, I think. There's so much that is not really known because of cultural differences and also the "white glasses" that are worn when there's conversations about this part of history. Still, some of these unequalities are still an issue today.. but change is coming. It is easier more than ever to learn about the past and apply the knowledge of mistakes to the future to avoid repetition, thanks to works like this.