Dominion of Mercy Review - When Criticism Begins A Conversation

-

While Winnipeg Free Press did give Dominion of Mercy a good review, the reviewer did criticize the absence of indigenous content, specifically the impact of the Anyox Smelter and its development on the occupied traditional lands of the Nisga'a people. The story takes place in 1917 in northern British Columbia.  I thought a lot about this in the context of historical fiction, writing a novel that contains both fact and fiction. Although I did have the main character question the presence of an indigenous person in one scene, and further content offered by an other character, (Dominion of Mercy p.197-98), the structure of the novel could not provide the proper treatment to address the cultural and human impacts of the smelter. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/books/scottish-lass-starts-fresh-in-bc-mining-town-574612052.html

My reflection returned me to a question that I've had for a long time. How did we acquire the lands called Canada? Were they just taken as I had asssumed? Who granted the legal authority? The answer, I discovered, is in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action.

 

Royal Proclamation and Covenant of Reconciliation 

45.

We call upon the Government of Canada, on behalf of all Canadians, to jointly develop with Aboriginal peoples a Royal Proclamation of Reconciliation to be issued by the Crown. The proclamation would build on the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and the Treaty of Niagara of 1764, and reaffirm the nation-to-nation relationship between Aboriginal peoples and the Crown. The proclamation would include, but not be limited to, the following commitments: Calls to Action| 5 i. Repudiate concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous lands and peoples such as the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius

 

Doctrine of Discovery

The Doctrine of Discovery was promulgated by European monarchies in order to legitimize the colonization of lands outside of Europe. Between the mid-fifteenth century and the mid-twentieth century, this idea allowed European entities to seize lands inhabited by indigenous peoples under the guise of "discovering new land".[3] In 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas declared that only non-Christian lands could be colonized under the Doctrine of Discovery. Wikipedia.

 

Perhaps this does little to mitigate the criticism, and the losses of a culture. I can only educate myself in our true history, and hope that history books of the future will reveal the reality of our past and all its human cost.

 


 

 

 

 


 

Anyox BC - 1917 - showing plank roads, streetlights, Granby company houses - 1917

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding the title of my new novel - The Sum of One Man's Pleasure

-
Image
 In my interview with Sheila Pratt, I was asked what The Sum of One Man's Pleasure meant, what informed me to create such a title. As a book title has great weight, and a certain mystery behind it, I wanted something compelling, and provocative. But I found the title in an unlikely spot, in one of Roderick Haig-Brown's celebrated books, A River Never Sleeps. Haig-Brown was a magistrate in Campbell River BC., but more recognized for his books on fishing, and for his views on conservation and environmental protection. His writing was one of my greatest early influences. Haig-Brown wrote eloquently of the rivers he fished, the mood, such as the heavy water of November. The feel of water against his legs, the power of it, the companionship of fellow fishermen, a bright fish, and life along the river. It's smells, and the texture of the woods, the earthy aromas. He called such things fishermen's pleasures. They are sensory pleasures, something the romantic in me can identify
Read more

The Fuse of Fiction

-
Image
 An idea arises, perhaps from a sketchbook of ideas in your head, yes, snippets of thought, inspiration from an article you read, a television news story, real life experiences that includes your own, historical records, and, of course,  information from the  creative Universe.   So, ideas come from many sources. There is never one way to create a story. It is an intimately personal affair. I can only give one view of it all - from my own writing journey, what I have learned after more than twenty novels. A great catologue, you might think, but only six have been published. The other novels, I can reflect now, are where I learned to write well. I am always open to where the next novel comes from. I ask the Universe for a story, something important, what the world  needs to hear. Sounds a bit self-righteous, I know, but I want my 900 hours of work to be worthwhile, that I learned something important, that it contributes to a better understanding of human endeavor and engagement, the hum
Read more