The Temptations of Big Bear

by Rudy Wiebe

“What can that mean, I and my family will have a ‘reserve of one square mile’?”

So asks Big Bear of Governor Morris, come to impose a square treaty on the round, buffalo-covered world of the Plains Cree. As the buffalo vanish and the tension builds to the second Riel Rebellion, Big Bear alone of the prairie chiefs keeps up pressure for a better treaty by refusing to choose a reserve. He argues, “If any man has the right to put a rope around another man’s neck, some day someone will get choked.”

It is Big Bear’s story – and the story of Wandering Spirit, of Kitty McLean and John McDougall–that is told in this novel with rare and penetrating power. Permeated with a sense of place and time, this eagerly awaited work by Rudy Wiebe reflects the author’s sensitivity to the Canadian prairies, their history, the minds and hearts of their diverse people.

Exploring Big Bear’s isolated struggle, Wiebe has encompassed in one creative sweep not only his hero’s struggle for integrity, but the whole range and richness of the Plains culture. Here is the giant circle of the prairie horizon, and the joy, the sorrow, the pain and the triumph and the violence of unconquerable human beings faced with destruction.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Historical Fiction, Canadian Literature, Read For School, Literary Fiction

408 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Wiebe was born at Speedwell, near Fairholme, Saskatchewan in what would later become his family’s chicken barn. For thirteen years he lived in an isolated Mennonite community of about 250 people. He did not speak English until age six since Mennonites at that time customarily spoke Low German at home and standard German at Church. He attended the small school three miles from his farm and the Speedwell Mennonite Brethren Church.

He received his B.A. in 1956 from the University of Alberta and then studied at the University of Tübingen in West Germany. In 1958 he married Tena Isaak, with whom he had two children.

He is deeply committed to the literary culture of Canada and has shown a particular interest in the traditions and struggles of people in the Prairie provinces, both whites and Aboriginals.

Wiebe won the Governor General's Award for Fiction twice, for The Temptations of Big Bear (1973) and A Discovery of Strangers (1994). He was awarded the Royal Society of Canada's Lorne Pierce Medal in 1986. In 2000 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm surprised and disappointed at the low rating this book gets. To me, it's simply more evidence of the uselessness of allowing anyone to comment on anything they like, or don't like, on the internet, tracking those same opinions, and letting them influence you.

"Whoa, a university student got bored...or offended...reading a book! Stop the presses!". Who cares if it somehow managed to win the nation's most prestigious award for fiction writing, it's dull...or crap...or offensive. Yeaaaah, right, that's probably right...what would the nation's arbiters of the best books Canada has to offer know about good books. "Nothing written 10 years ago, let alone 40 years ago, can possibly be relevant, I mean, did they even know what literary criticism was?"

Honestly, I do feel very sorry for anyone who finds this book boring, but still somehow considers themselves an enthusiastic and discerning reader. Especially Canadians. This book has a ton to offer, and I encourage you to try it again someday.

[Czarny Pies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Allan Bevan of Dalhousie University notes in his introduction to the edition that I read that Rudy Wiebe "uses a great number of narrative techniques and variations in prose styles throughout the novel" (p. xiii). Moreover, the book is "heavily populated with many characters making only brief appearances" (p. xiv). In other words, "The Temptations of Big Bear" is difficult to read. In Quebec, we would say that it is "un calvaire à lire".

The action starts nine years after the Dominion of Canada has been formed. Great Britain has given the new country all its along a 3700 strip of land extending from Lake Huron to the Pacific Ocean and going north to the Arctic Ocean in exchange that a railway will be built to Vancouver. Canada has thus assumed an enormous debt and is in a absurd hurry to establish control over the troublesome native population (still referred to as Indians when this book was published in 1973.)

The hero Big Bear is a highly principled leader of a collection of Cree tribes who refuses to sign an unfair treaty with Canada that will deprive his people with their land but who simultaneously refuses to resist the Canadians (referred to as "Whiteskins") with violence. The author Wiebe who is a Mennonite is unquestionably aware of the fact that while Canada was waging war against the Indians during the 1870s and 1880s it was simultaneously sending agents to Russian to recruit Mennonites to come to Canada to be farmers in the new territory.

Possibly because the Mennonite religion preaches pacifism, Wiebe clearly has great admiration for his courageous and honourable protagonist. Given Wiebe's noble sentiments, I wish that I could have liked the book which is a confusing mess from which no coherent thesis can be extracted. Canada's savage suppression of the Western Indians was the subject of enormous political controversy at the time that it was conducted and created political fault lines that have remained in Canada to this day. While I agree with Wiebe I do not perceive that he added anything that had not already been said to the debate almost 100 years earlier.

[Paul Gaya Ochieng Simeon Juma · Rating 3 out of 5]

He was accused of being an agitator. His name Big Bear. His crime, inciting his fellow Indians make exorbitant demands. In actual sense, he was fighting for his land which he believed he had a right to occupy and to walk on. On the other hand, were the Whiteskins who represented the queen. Among them, were men like Governor Morris who spoke to them on the same. Both parties talked and their words were written down. But, when the Indians asked for a copy of what had been written down, the whiteskins refused. Instead they asked them to make their names on it and trust them to send a copy to them once they get home. So they left and sent a copy back to them. Unfortunately, the words no longer said the same thing. Half the sweet things had been taken out and the sour ones left. They had been deceived.

The above, is what the Indians in Canada had to suffer during the occupation of Canada by the white man. He was deceived into signing a treaty which he believed was the Indian's damnation. He believed that it was too inflexible to help them in their condition. For example, one of its aims was to change the lifestyle of the Indians from hunters to farmers all at once. That was impossible. Eventually, Big Bear was arrested and charged with treason-felony. It means that him together with others intended to levy war against her Majesty's government. He was found guilty by 'a jury' and sentenced to three years imprisonment. The land was not his but her Majesty's and the latter had graciously given him to live there.

[Mariele · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm on page 175, 225 more to go, and I've decided I'm going to bolt. At first, I thought it's me, having had so little time to read lately, so I never really got into the story. But reading other people's reviews, I'm obviously not the only one who is bored witless by this book. Clearly, this is one of those novels where the author is an outsider to the culture he writes about, and quite evidently way out at sea. Wiebe switches points of view very often, but while the white people's perspective is comprehensible, the natives' POV often comes across as very clumsy and wooden. And insulting (IMHO). The book is 40 years old, and I suppose political correctness was understood differently back then, or perhaps it was not given much thought at all? Anyway, some scenes and remarks in this book were definitely inappropriate. I wondered about the writer's intention. Why mentioning an Indian warrior poking his nose - to ridicule the character or to show his humanity? "Horsechild was exploring inside his nose with his finger; he studied what he found there and then carefully swallowed it." Very inappropriate.
Other examples: another warrior who fingers the private parts of his steed, explained in great detail. In the same chapter, this warrior watches a sex scene and wonders "whether the girl had felt what had happened to her" - what ?!?!?!?!? I could go on and on about numerous upsetting little observations I stumbled upon in this book.
The afterword says that Wiebe meant to reconstruct the lost voice of a vanished oral tradition. Seriously, I have read better books about the reconstruction of a disappeared history (Maxine Hong Kingston), and I have read better books written by white men who appropriated the perspective of the Native American Other (Dee Brown / "Creek Mary's Blood"). Wiebe's book is awful in so many ways. For one thing, it is just too mind-numbingly dull to take up any more of my time.

[Gail Amendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rudy Wiebe's books are never easy to read, but they are good. He writes using many narrators and many styles, which can be tough to get into, but allows him to explore historical events from many points of view with great insight. Before reading a Rudy Wiebe novel, one must have a working knowledge of the history he discusses, as he is not going to hold your hand and explain it to you. In this case, I am very glad that I recently read The Frog Lake Reader, and already knew about the events surrounding the Frog Lake killings, and also that I am well versed in the history surrounding the Northwest Rebellion. It has been said that as the son of Mennonite immigrants, Wiebe doesn't have the right to tell the stories of the native people he so often writes about, but he treats their stories with the utmost sensitivity and respect. He has obviously done a lot of research, and I think he has an amazing ability to see things from their perspective. I am always moved by the heartbreakingly absurd cultural misunderstandings that he weaves into his novels, which help me to understand what the clash of cultures must have been like for those who lived it. This book was originally published in 1973, and was probably ahead of its time in not romanticizing the opening of the west, but rather examining the tragedy that befell those who were already there.

[Skot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wiebe has been criticized for "appropriating" history, but I tend to feel that that's what history's there for. I have returned to this book a couple of times, for its stunning, unsensationalized portrayal of this all-too-forgotten great leader. Canadian history may still be depressing, but it's not boring.

[Jacob Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed. I really wanted to like this, as I think Big Bear is one of the most interesting and important characters in Canadian history, but I really did not enjoy the writing. I didn't find it boring as some other reviews have said, but I found the writing style to be confusing and often disorienting. Didn't do justice to a story that deserves to be told.

[Marla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking. It took me weeks to read The Temptations of Big Bear because I could only muster a few pages at a time.

Almost fifty years after it was written, and one hundred and fifty since it happened, this book lays bare the horror, pomposity and racism of colonialism. I already knew the history undergirding this novel; the telling made it visceral.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rudy Wiebe, a Mennonite from Saskatchewan, tells the story of Big Bear, a powerful Cree leader of the River People in the 1800’s. Wiebe weaves us through the factual words and the fictionalized inner world of Big Bear, his son’s, and the white men and women involved in his life.
I was asked what I thought of a white man telling this account and I do think Wiebe does an exceptional job. The book captures the poetic eloquence of Big Bear, his yearning to keep the old way and pity for his people if nothing else. The injustices to the Indian are shown in the white man’s own words. Only the young Kitty McClean understands.
However, the savagery by the young warriors is not dismissed. They seek the preservation of their way of life through war despising Big Bear’s cries of disapproval.
I did find the long list of characters hard to follow and being unfamiliar with the actual history, I got lost in the narrative at times.
Despite this, it is an important piece of Canadian historical fiction.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would've thought rating a Governor General's Award winner would be a no brainer for anyone... but then admitting that reconciliation means more than "we made an error in judgement;" that it actually means we, as a nation, committed an act of genocide and we continue to blame the victims of the crime largely, I'm pretty sure, because our wealth is based originally on what was stolen from Indigenous people while we self-righteously point fingers at other nations far and near. The truth is sometimes a bitter pill to swallow, sometimes the perfect day for a nap.

[Stuart Harden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little hard to start, but rewarding once you take the time to sit with the book. Wiebe gives Big Bear a rich voice that is slow, measured, and comforting, but the fact that this is a settler author writing the words and thoughts of an 1800's Cree man hangs over the story in a way that makes it hard to really trust the telling. Romantic... too romantic...

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found Wiebe's writing style in this book heavy work. I did not find this with the others of his works I have read. I did learn a lot about the conditions of the treaties. The whole thing was quite shameful.

[Jaime Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow going and dreamy, I was slowly absorbed into the time and history of the Canadian plains, and the time of Big Bear and his people.

[Rhys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tells the story of a great leader. Wiebe might have focussed less on narrative adornments and more on the meaning of his actions.

[Darla]

To page 184

[Andrew Fehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

To me, the Temptations of Big Bear is a book with two sides. On one hand, it's historical accuracy and bringing to life of historical events and characters, that hit on a niche interest of mine in prairie history, make it an extremely appealing read. My compliments to Wiebe for taking this challenge on.

On the other hand, it is extremely difficult to read. Wiebe has a bizarre style of writing that makes me feel like I have a rough of idea, but never a very precise idea, of what is happening on a given page. Some people probably like that style of writing and may find it more intelligible that I do but I doubt many do. I was left feeling unsatisfied every time I put the book down. I don't think I'll read any of Wiebe's other books despite my interest in the topics.

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

How I Came To Read This Book: Ugh, Canadian Lit, and being forced to read this as the last book in the ‘prairie’ half of the course.

The Plot: Big Bear is part of the Plains Cree, but he isn’t buying what the Canadian government is selling – the reserve policy from confederation. He tries to hold out for a bigger treaty, but his fellow prairie chiefs are frustrated with him as pressure mounts towards the second Louis Riel rebellion. I know other things happened, but just…no.

The Good & The Bad: This is one of the worst books I’ve ever read. I’m not even trying to be mean here – I think it was a combination of the dry subject matter, the self-deprecating nature of Canadian prairie lit, and the lifeless writing…there was just no way I could find this book interesting. In fact it’s one of the few books I’ve ‘read’ that I’ll say I only half-read because I couldn’t get into it at all, up there with Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”. While the story is well-intentioned, bringing light to the thoughts and emotions of the people involved with the reserves back in the day, it just had no hook, and I’m FROM the prairies where Louis Riel is most famous (we have a day named after him). In general, in all fairness, I find prairie history really boring, so perhaps that coloured my enjoyment of the book…but a really great book should be able to overcome that, and this book did not.

The Bottom Line: A brutal read, you’re better off absorbing some nonfiction on the subject.

Anything Memorable?: A classmate of mine, Melanie, ended up in the second part of the University program I took – this course was in the first part. She confessed to me afterwards that despite her group doing a project on this book, she never finished the book because she found it so boring. Or did she say ‘read’?

50-Book Challenge?: Nope

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was tough. I think because the author is using many different styles and POVs, you get pulled out of it. There is a lot of information to process and it's very interesting. However, there are some long dry bits that seem to take ages to plow through. I found the second half much more enjoyable than the first.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of Big Bear is fascinating and important, especially for Canadians. Unfortunately this book is poorly edited at best, and poorly written at worst. This is perhaps a vague and unfair criticism - but I find certain elements of the author's personality and bias are poorly suppressed in this book and constantly interfere with story, the facts of which are otherwise are riveting.

[BinChic · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the only book that I have ever read that I literally fell asleep (repeatedly) during battle scenes! Admittedly, this book was not my own choice, but rather that of my Canadian Lit professor I would very strongly suggest bypassing this one unless you are a die hard fan of Mr. Wiebe's.

[Shawn Hansen]

1973 Governor General Award for fiction

[Ibis3]

NCL.2006-10-01

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A densely layered narrative told from multiple points of view. Conveys nicely a sense of the big sky and broad plains of the prairies before they were surveyed and civilized. The story explores the fundamental clash between European immigrants and Indigenous cultures during the earliest years of their introduction to one another. Parts of it are a bit hard to read until you get into the rhythm and start to hear it in your head instead of tying to parse it word by word. A bit like Joyce's Ulysses it tries to put the story into written words from the perspective of a protagonist, Big Bear, whose culture is based on aural not written stories.