Voices of the Plains Cree (Canadian Plains Studies(CPS)) [Paperback]

EDWARD AHENAKEW (Author), RUTH BUCK (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0889770832 | ISBN-13: 978-0889770836

When buffalo were many on the western plains, when Cree and Blackfoot warred in unrelenting enmity, when the Sun Dance and the shaking tent were still a way of life these were the days of Chief Thundershild (1849-1927). His stories of a fierce and vanished freedom are reprinted here, exactly as he told them to Edward Ahenakew in 1923. His voice, simple and poetic, resonates with the wide expanse of sky, the song of the wind, the sound of water.

The other voice in this volume is equally moving, but in a very different way. It is the voice of Old Keyam, pained and angry, raised in protest against the Indians' lethargy and the white man's insensitivity. A fictional character, semi-autobiographical, he is very much the voice of Edward Ahenakew, telling of life on the reservations in the new white world of the early twentieth century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Ahenakew's short, powerful stories capture and convey an exquisite sense of triumph, tragedy, pathos, and the pride of freedom. -- Richard W. Parker, CBRA, 1997

About the Author

Edward Ahenakew was born on June 11, 1885, at the Sandy Lake Reserve in Saskatchewan. To the delight of his Christian mother, Edward was ordained an Anglican priest in 1912 and assigned to Onion Lake, where he did missionary work with the Reverend John R. Matheson?whose daughter, Ruth Matheson Buck, would later play an important role in editing Edward's Cree stories. Edward carried out numerous missions until an influenza epidemic after World War I prompted him to study medicine. However, due to severe poverty and malnutrition, he could not finish medical school.

During his recuperation in Thunderchild's Reserve, Edward Ahenakew frequently visited Chief Thunderchild, a man who followed Big Bear in the 1870s and lived through the tribal wars. Edward recorded the historical and mythical stories told to him by Chief Thunderchild, which became the inspiration for Part I of Voices of the Plains Cree.

In 1935, Edward became a missionary for the Diocese of Saskatchewan, working for the mission at Fort à la Corne until his retirement. In 1947, Edward received a degree of Doctor of Divinity from Emmanuel College.

While on a train to Dauphin, Manitoba, Canon Edward Ahenakew suffered a stroke and was taken to a local hospital in Canora, where he died on July 12, 1961, at the age of 76.

Product Details

• Paperback: 130 pages
• Publisher: Canadian Plains Research Center (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0889770832
• ISBN-13: 978-0889770836
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,798,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book, October 24, 2009

By 

Frank Josey "Chief Eagle Eye" (Country NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Voices of the Plains Cree (Canadian Plains Studies(CPS)) (Paperback)

This book is full of insights into the perspective that the Plains Cree First Nation people had on spirituality, warfare, sexuality, and morals in general. Their culture was beautiful, certainly not savage "wards of the Commonwealth" that history sometimes wrongly depicts.

Moreover, many of the stories are exciting. The 1925 interviews of chiefs who as young men were warriors, mainly before white settlers, is fascinating.

It's shown me how the tribal link to the land as mother earth is something we "newcomers" can never truly understand.

The "adventure storyteller" style makes it an exciting read.

I was also impressed when I received the book in 8 days when estimate was 14-21 days.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Fast delivery, October 29, 2007

By 

Evelyn J. Morales - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Voices of the Plains Cree (Canadian Plains Studies(CPS)) (Paperback)

I got the book in excellent condition and was very professional and fast and I would do business with again.
Thank you.