Duncan Campbell Scott, known both as the architect of Canada's most destructive Aboriginal policies and as one of the nation's major poets. Who was this enigmatic figure who could compose a sonnet to an "Onondaga Madonna" one moment and promote a "final solution" to the "Indian problem" the next? In this passionate, intelligent and highly readable inquiry into the state of Canada's troubled Aboriginal relations, Abley alternates between analysis of current events and an imagined debate with the spirit of Duncan Campbell Scott, whose defense of the Indian Residential School and belief in assimilation illuminate the historical roots underlying today's First Nations' struggles. Mark Abley writes a column for the Montreal Gazette. He lives in Montreal.
Record details
ISBN:9781553656098 (hc.)
Physical Description:print 251 pages, viii pages of plates : illustrations, portraits ; 23 cm.
Publisher:Madeira Park, BC : Douglas & McIntyre, 2013.
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
Even beyond the end -- Heart's blood on the feathers -- Treatment that might be considered pitiless -- Obsolete as the buffalo and the tomahawk -- The crushed essence -- The sacredness of treaty promises -- A glimpse of real savages -- I have done so little -- The sin of blindness -- A note to the reader -- Sources -- Acknowledgments -- Index.