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Now in paperback. In this book, the compilers have brought together
more than 1,800 references to literature relating to the Blackfoot.
About one third of the citations are annotated, and an author index
and a general index simplify the utilization of this valuable
resource tool.
As a leader, Maskepetoon was respected for his skill as a hunter,
his generosity and his wisdom. He was considered a "lucky" chief, a
man who found buffalo on the edge of the plains, who avoided
unnecessary conflicts with enemies, but protected his camp like a
mother grizzly with her cubs. And in the turbulent mid-1800s,
that's exactly the kind of leader the Rocky Mountain Cree needed.
Maskepetoon followed his own inclinations for peace and friendship.
He formed allegiances with missionaries and guided settlers through
the Rockies. Yet, if necessary, he could kill with impunity, rule
with an iron hand and show no mercy where he believed none should
be shown. He transformed his people from woodland trappers to
buffalo hunters and from woodsmen to prairie dwellers, always
keeping their interests at heart. Hugh Dempsey's account of the
legendary chief and his life includes insights from the Cree people
of today, including descendants of Maskepetoon, and new information
on the chief of the same name who lived in the United States during
this time.
When the white settlers came to western Canada, Big Bear realized
that the Cree Indians' way of life was threatened, and he fought to
prevent his people from being reduced to poverty-stricken outcasts
in their own land. Although his protests were peaceful, he was
labelled a troublemaker. Years of frustration and rage exploded
when his followers killed the white people of Frog Lake, a tragedy
Big Bear was powerless to stop. The old chief stood trial for
inciting rebellion--though all he had sought was justice and
freedom.
Hugh Dempsey has for decades been one of Alberta's most prolific
and influential public historians. Author of more than twenty
books, he has also been "in on the ground floor" of the development
of many key Alberta institutions, including the Indian Association
of Alberta, the Historical Society of Alberta, and most
importantly, the Glenbow Museum. Now, in his own words, he recounts
his interesting and varied careers as journalist, government
publicity writer, popular historian, archivist and museum
administrator, speaker, and lecturer. Beginning with a compelling
account of his childhood in Edmonton in the 1930s - when his family
was for a time on relief during the Depression - and his 1940s
teenage escapades hitchhiking across the continent, Dempsey's
narrative moves into the frenetic world of post-war urban
journalism. A fateful chance assignment as a reporter for the
Edmonton Bulletin in February 1950 led to his involvement with the
fledgling Indian Association of Alberta, its secretary John Laurie,
president James Gladstone, and Gladstone's daughter Pauline, whom
Dempsey would eventually marry. This in turn led to a strong
interest in Indigenous culture and biography through which Dempsey
was able to combine oral history with scholarly records to produce
historical writing with a broad popular appeal. During the 1950s,
Dempsey helped design early provincial historical recognition
programs and began his lifelong involvement with the Historical
Society of Alberta. In 1956 he joined the Glenbow Foundation (later
Glenbow Museum), where for the next thirty-five years he would play
a crucial part in its growth and reputation for excellence,
designing and managing the Glenbow Archives and eventually serving
as Acting Director of the Museum before retiring in 1991. Written
with the trademark Hugh Dempsey eye for detail and lively anecdote,
this memoir will be essential and enjoyable reading for anyone
interested in Western and Indigenous history and the growth of key
Alberta cultural institutions.
The stories told in this collection, though tragic for many, also
illustrate the steadfast determination and courage of people in the
face of misfortune and extreme distress. From the lesser-known weed
outbreaks and tornadoes to the world-wide influenza outbreak in
1918 that devastated many Calgary families, these stories focus on
the human side of these disasters. It may be a heroic individual or
the collective response of a community, but what is truly
remarkable in these stories is the human response to the world
being turned upside down by famine and disease, by flood, fire, or
rock slide, by wind and cold, by dynamite or gas explosions, or
even by the seemingly mundane threat of weeds upon crops. It is the
resolution to continue to fight and the persistence of the human
spirit and its adaptability to challenges that is the true story of
a century of development in western Canada.
The Vengeful Wife and Other Blackfoot Stories by historian Hugh A.
Dempsey presents tales from the Blackfoot tribe of the plains of
northern Montana and southern Alberta. Drawn from Dempsey's fifty
years of interviewing tribal elders and sifting through archives,
the stories are about warfare, hunting, ceremonies, sexuality, the
supernatural, and captivity, and they reflect the Blackfoot
worldview and beliefs. This remarkable compilation of oral history
and accounts from government officials, travelers, and fur traders
preserves stories dating from the late 1700s to the early 1900s.
""The importance of oral history,"" Dempsey writes, ""is reflected
in the fact that the majority of these stories would never have
survived had they not been preserved orally from generation to
generation.""
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