Heritage Reading Material

Below you can find some recommended Heritage related reading material. The following books are avaliable at our library.

---

James McKay: A Metis Builder of Canada
by: Agnes Grant

Builders of Canada Series #1
Winnipeg : Pemmican Publications Inc.
1994. Pp. 94, ill.
ISBN: 0-921827-38-5

Dr. Agnes Grant teaches Native Studies and Education at Brandon University and is well - known for her writing on a variety of topics. In this biography, Grant focuses on McKay's Métis ethnic identity and uses it to insert descriptions of Métis cultural activities. Descriptive passages which portray aboriginal culture in a positive light obviously reflect Grant's talent as a writer as well as her cultural expertise and will be appreciated by many readers.

---

The Red River Rebellion
J.M. Bumsted

Winnipeg : Watson & Dwyer
1996, 359 pp.
ISBN: 0-920486-23-1

There has been no lack of books and articles on the 1869 uprising of the Métis that ultimately brought about the entrance of Manitoba into the newly constituted Dominion of Canada. As the author notes, it is a subject that continues to arouse strong feelings to this day, particularly with regard to the role of Louis Riel and the execution of Thomas Scott. This is an excellent choice for students studying history and looking for an overview of a controversial topic. The book begins with a background to the uprising and the main groups that were involved. The colony of Red River at the time was a small, isolated community. In his overview of the community, Bumsted gives a human face to each group by naming prominent individuals and families, except in the case of French-speaking Métis and Aboriginal people. As the author later demonstrates, individuals from both groups were prominent in Red River.

---

Fur Trade Wars: The Founding of Western Canada
J.M. Bumsted

Winnipeg : Great Plains Publications

1999. 272 pp.
Maps, b&w illus., bibliography, index.
ISBN: 1-894283-03-1

Fur Trade Wars is a popular account of an important period in Western Canadian history -- the competition between the North West and Hudson's Bay companies that led to violence, and the threat of economic ruin to all. It is comprehensive and highly readable. Fur Trade Wars is based on excellent research and it brings a modern approach to the topic. The years of conflict between the North West and Hudson’s Bay companies were complicated and multifaceted Bumsted has done a good job in telling this story.