Voices of the Plains Cree,

by Edward Ahenakew

When buffalo were many on the western plains, when Cree and Blackfoot warred in unrelenting enmity, when the Sun Dance and the shaking tent were still a way of life these were the days of Chief Thundershild (1849-1927). His stories of a fierce and vanished freedom are reprinted here, exactly as he told them to Edward Ahenakew in 1923. His voice, simple and poetic, resonates with the wide expanse of sky, the song of the wind, the sound of water.

The other voice in this volume is equally moving, but in a very different way. It is the voice of Old Keyam, pained and angry, raised in protest against the Indians' lethargy and the white man's insensitivity. A fictional character, semi-autobiographical, he is very much the voice of Edward Ahenakew, telling of life on the reservations in the new white world of the early twentieth century.

Genres: History, Canada, Indigenous, Nonfiction

204 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Beth Bauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this strangely precious - strange, because the tone is far too down-to-earth and homey to be properly "precious," but it is special nonetheless. All the first and second-hand stories recorded here are priceless, including those told by Chief Thunderchild, stories that may have been lost otherwise.

Edward Ahenakew, one of the numerous Cree Ahenakews, was born in 1885, and wrote the stories contained in this book in the 1920s.

Ahenakew's perspectives can be considered "racist" through a modern lens, which brings up complicated questions about a Cree man from the 1800s perpetuating opinions ABOUT his own people we now deem politically incorrect. For example, one of his characters praises one of the "experimental" reserves where the children were schooled by white people and lived like white people, and this character exclaims in pride that this group of people's skin even grew whiter! This is NOT an ok perspective today, and yet this is how Ahenakew writes. Which is by no means a reason to set aside this book, but rather think more carefully about Ahenakew's upbringing and perspective (as an "educated" and "acultured" Cree man who was embedded in white society and white ideology--he studied at the University of Saskatchewan and in Toronto-- while still maintaining a deep love of his Cree people). It is also a really valuable window into how other Indigenous people felt about their own society.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed the second half of the book, the stories of Old Keyam. He is a little pretentious, but it caught me off-guard how much I enjoyed his sly humour and wisdom. And his arguments about how reserve life should be, about the heartbreaking injustice of the colonial government, and the tension between traditional culture and the need to move forward to survive in the colonial reality were really insightful and powerful.

[Fred Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a couple of years ago. The stories that the Rev. Cannon Dr. Edward Ahenakew recorded were the reflections of a time when life for indigenous people on the plains in what would later be known as Alberta and Saskatchewan would be changed forever. He tells us of a time before reserves and speaks of the conditions that forced the Nehiyaw people to become parties to Treaty 6. If it wasn't for his work, these stories would have been lost forever. It is an important work that I encourage anyone interested in forwarding Reconciliation to read.

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated perspectives, still appropriate and relevant. A wee window into our past.
"We thought that we would be taught to work our land, would be advised in the white man's ways. Instead we are under constant rules and regulations, and we must conform. The old Chiefs were promised schools, and it was understood that these schools will be paid for wholly by the Government, in return for our surrender of claims to the rest of this land. Now, it appears that we pay through these funds from the sale of reserve lands that are in trust. As for the advisers assigned to us—there again we must pay towards the cost. The Treaty talk sounded different when the old Chiefs signed."

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always sad when an author's work is not published until after their death. This case is particular sorrowful since its original purpose was to write down and preserve some of the history, traditions, and early 20th century world-views of the Cree people. The fact that it was not published until 1973, 50 years after it was written is something to grieve. This book is a snapshot of a very specific time in Indigenous history, extremely different than present day. I would encourage anyone to read this who wants to broaden their knowledge of Indigenous history and perspectives.

[Darlene Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chief Thunderchild's stories of a fierce and vanished freedom are reprinted here as he told them to Edward Ahenakew in 1923. - Further readings in 2017 Lenten Reading for Reconciliation - -

[quasialidia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an awesome book. Am just waiting for more time to reread it.