The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King

from goodreads

4 stars

It's snowing!!! My middle daughter looked out the window this morning and saw the snow falling down and exclaimed, "It's the first day of winter!" I then proceeded to explain, as I have done on previous occasions, that although the weather outside might depict a certain season, it doesn't mean it is that season. There is often overlap between the weather and the seasons, usually with snow starting in fall and continuing on into spring.

That still did not deter her excitement. She is ready for the snow. I just wished it has stayed warm for two more days, as tonight we have a school function where there are going to be food trucks. It would have been nicer to stand in line without doing the shiver dance. Oh well. I don't have to cook dinner tonight so bring it on.

Synopsis

Thomas King depicts "White" and "Indian" relations in North America. He mainly focuses on Native People's lives from the time the white man settled to now, he does go into pre-colonial histories. He looks at the good and bad in these relationships and gives his hopes for the future.

My Thoughts

This was the winner of the Waterloo Reads competition held in October.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It made me laugh, it made me feel sad, it made me feel like he was just getting started and that there is so much more that could be said. I loved his writing style. He made it easy to read and it did not read like a history text, which it definitely is not. These are his own views mixed with historical research. It is written with a bias, but it is his, it is his story so if course there will be a personal bias and slant to it. This bias does not change the fact that I think this is a must read for everyone, especially those living in Canada and the United States.

There were times where I felt he went on a bit too much. In the second half it seemed like it was one bad thing after another. Surely there must have been something good, but then again, maybe not. I like how he doesn't really put blame on "white" culture as a whole. There are things that are done in the past, in every country around the world, that does not shed the best light on those people, but it does not a bad people or person make.

While this book doesn't give answers to everything it is a great book to get the conversation started on aboriginal people and the dual worlds they live in. Because of this book I am beginning to understand the treaties a bit more, understand their view of land and property/land claims a bit more, and their view of their own sovereignty a bit more.

A few complaints that I have heard from other sources is that he concentrates sole on the massacres that whites inflicted on the Native population. They feel that he should have talked about how the Iroquois decimated the Hurons and other massacres that Natives did on their own people before settlers arrived. I think a mention of these might have been good too, but the whole point of the book was really to look at the relationship between the white government and the Native people and the problems that are arising because of it and need to be resolved in the future. Those past native on native massacres, while fleshing out the narrative, don't explain how the relationships between Natives and whites will be changed and helped for the better.

I highly recommend this book. As with everything read it with a grain of salt. And whether you like or agree with his musings or not, it is a great book to promote discussion and thought.