Overview

This book studies the cultural adjustment of the coastal Indian of British Columbia to white society and the development of leadership among the Indians in response to the great changes they have experienced as a result of the settlement of Canada. It presents, in fact, an important example of a struggle by a contemporary people whose ancestors were once dispossessed. The author carries his study forward under three main headings which indicate the chief areas of conflict and adjustment between whites and Indians: potlatch law, the land question, and the rise of groups of an economic or 'protestant' nature. The treatment is historical and political adjustments are emphasized. In many ways these themes show a parallel development: legislation enacted without proper consideration for the viewopint of the Indian has brought about resistance on his part and also a questioning among many whites and Indians of the justice of disregarding the rights of the first occupants of the province.

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9780802061331

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Reviews

'In usual degree LaViolette combines an exacting historical analysis with a sensitive awareness of moral values. This book deserves to be widely read. It also deserves to be taken seriously by all those who initiate and administer governmental policy affecting our Indians.' * Saturday Night *

'In usual degree LaViolette combines an exacting historical analysis with a sensitive awareness of moral values. This book deserves to be widely read. It also deserves to be taken seriously by all those who initiate and administer governmental policy affecting our Indians.'

Author Information

FORREST E. LAVIOLETTE was born in North Dakota and grew up where Indians were very much part of the local scene. In his youth he sailed the coast of British Columbia and Alaska on many occasions and made his first acquaintance with the subject of this book. He is a graduate of Reed College and the University of Chicago, and has held teaching appointments at the university of Washington and McGill University. While at McGill he was associated with other Canadian scholars on a Committee on Indian Research assisted by the Social Science Research Council of Canada. His publications include Americans of Japanese Ancestry: A Study of Assimilation in the American Community and The Canadian Japanese and World War II. He is now Professor and Head, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans.

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