Justified by archeological records, Canadian history, and empirical proof, in the book Clearing the Plains, James Daschuk gives an in-depth account of political, economic, and ecological systems that prompted the existing disparities between the indigenous Canadians, also referred to as the people of the plains and the settlers. With a remarkable narration style crowned by impeccable research, Daschuk takes the readers through the vile introduction of early microbes among the indigenous communities who later struggled to control floods of illnesses brought by European invaders. Simultaneously, he shows how an unquenchable overall interest for furs prompted overharvesting, ecological debasement, and starvation that resulted in an ever-deepening calamity. While numerous communities opposed this external invasion and united in wars, animosity grew while necessities such as food and medicines became scant, creating an atmosphere of unparalleled anxiety and conditions that threatened human survival, forcing them to bow to external pressure. The book was written to bring to light hidden truths though seemingly uncomfortable to the beneficiaries of historical injustices; the revelations are no doubt necessary in understanding the present and in providing important lessons for future reference.
Professor Daschuk wrote, Clearing the Plains to unearth the historical injustices faced by the indigenous community in Canada with a specific reference to the Aboriginals. The book is made up of a total of nine chapters. Each chapter focuses on a specific theme that exposes the historical and biological precursors that created the current predicament of the aboriginal community. The introduction gives a general argument of the author while the conclusion provides a precise summary of the discussed issues, which collectively create a strong account of the situation of Canada’s Indigenous population with reference to the Aboriginal community in relation to health issues and their livelihood. The discussion is further deepened by the author’s profound knowledge of the environmental change in addition to the health of Canada’s indigenous communities. The first five chapters highlight major challenges that the Frist Nation faced in the West of Canada in addition to their survival techniques before their displacement by the Dominion of Canada. In the very first chapter of the book, Daschuk depicts the populace development and financial prosperity among First Nations on the fields during periods with ideal climatic conditions (900-1300 BCE), just as the wretchedness and torment they suffered during seasons of extended nasty climate and during episodes of infectious illnesses.
In proceeding chapters, i.e. one, two, three, and four, the author associates the extraordinary, disastrous decrease in First Nations populaces and relating changes in the social and actual climate of an Indigenous people group to sicknesses, brutal climate conditions, and impacts originating from pilgrim experiences. In the fifth chapter, the author delves into shading light on the relationship between economics and the resulting health impact on the indigenous people in the period in which Hudson’s Bay Company owned and managed Rupert’s land. Daschuck argues that the expansion and development of the transport network, which came to by massive invasion of lands that were historically owned by the Indigenous people, was the reason behind the uncontrollable spread of foreign diseases, including tuberculosis, measles, and smallpox. According to the author, these diseases precipitated the sensational slump in the well-being of the indigenous people both health-wise and economically. The displacement and dispossession of indigenous people are highlighted in chapter six through to the ninth chapter. The effects of the dispossession of land on the indigenous people by Dominion Canada are extensively discussed in these chapters.
Daschuk depicts the dealings that went into the marking of different treaties that eventually gave the Crown command over lands that were the customary region of First Nations. He then, at that point, depicts how these agreements rapidly became useless as the Crown neglected to respect its guarantees as illustrated in the deal arrangements prompting continued starvation and diseases among the indigenous population. In Chapters seven and eight, Daschuk further outlines the grievous wrongdoing of the Canadian government and the difficulties dispensed to First Nations that added to incredible starvation and dejection. The author posits that any reaction made by the Crown was to push forward its agenda and interests. Besides, he clarifies how issues of food uncertainty, malnourishment, and the hardship of micronutrients made Indigenous people more defenseless to both human and zoonotic sicknesses. The most grievous of the Crown’s deeds that Daschuk exposes is its practice of hoarding food until it decayed away while Aboriginal people groups starved to death. According to the author, the severity of famine resulted in increased incidences of depraved behavior, the rate of sexually transmitted infections amplified. Eventually, a revolt against the authorities became the order of the day. The results of signing the treaties with the Dominion Canada bore unwarranted devastation of a people’s way of life.
The book adds the value of trust and abiding by any particular treaties entered by the community and government or individuals and the respective authority. It is important that the government honors its treaties and respects the rights of its people to maintain its credibility. In comparison to the Dakota, who did not enter into any form of agreement or rather signed treaties with the crown; the Aboriginals went through devastating conditions. While the Aboriginals underwent various inhumane conditions characterized by severe famine and outbreaks of dangerous diseases, the Dakota thrived as they continued experiencing economic growth and good health. In the last chapter, the author examines the exact impact of the stringent measures undertaken by the crown in the name of containing and managing the First Nation’s people. He demonstrates how the integration of the pass system, which led to the confinement of the First People, resulted in an outbreak of diseases e infections. In general, outlined issues included invasion by the settlers and expansion of road networks that displaced the people and led to widespread diseases among the First People. A collective outlook brings into perspective the issue that contributed to the near cleansing of the indigenous people from the Canadian plains. Daschuk reaffirms that “the collective subjugation, hunger, sickness, and death [are] the origin of the chasm that exists even today between health conditions of mainstream Canadians and Western Canada’s First Nations population” (p. 172). It is, therefore, essential for the current government to act in good faith and in the best interest of the people.
I like the book due to the unbiased nature in which the author presents historical facts and events, making the book a gem of its kind and an example of credible authorship. The book gives a voice to the voiceless in society as it addresses various untold historical injustices that continue to affect the indigenous communities in Canada. The author gives an elaborate account of the Canadian dark history that nobody was willing to bring to light. Through extensive research and careful analysis of historical events, the author establishes political and economic frameworks came to exist. The existing systems are majorly in place not by good faith but are a result of suppression of the Canadian indigenous communities such as the Aboriginals. The author argues that the First People were dispossessed of their land through unfair means by the Crown to the benefit of the settlers from Europe. As a result of these historical injustices, the indigenous communities were deprived of fundamental necessities of sustained living and denied a chance to develop like the rest of the world. By reading the book, one gets to understand various intersecting factors that led to underdevelopment among indigenous people in the country, their poor health, and general backwardness compared to the non-indigenous. This book brings about credibility in authorship and is a call for justice towards the less privileged people in society.
Closely related to Clearing the Plains is a book by Shelly Gavigan titled Hunger, Horses, and Government Men. This book, however, focuses on criminal law. The author explores the various injustices faced by the indigenous communities and how they tried to defend themselves from continued injustices through existing laws. To have a clear perspective and a real picture of how the indigenous people responded to new laws of the land, the author meticulously studied historical court records. The author understands how the indigenous people defended themselves in the court of law once charged with criminal offenses. It is important to note the new Canadian law came with the settlers and hence high chances of incongruence. According to Gavigan, the two sides, the indigenous communities and the white man, had different world views, a situation that led to massive prosecution of the indigenous population due to the disconnection that existed. The majority of the indigenous community was prosecuted for deeds that, in their own accord and culture, did not amount to a crime. On the other hand, Clearing the Plains explores numerous historical injustices instigated by the Canadian government that caused the existing inequality between the indigenous Canadians and the settlers who later dominated the country in every aspect there is. Both authors expose and reconstruct historical events surrounding the original Canadians through extensive research and great compulsion for justice. Although both books present the historical aspects of the indigenous population, Clearing the Plains gives a more comprehensive historical account of the two books.
Clearing the plains is undoubtedly a resourceful book that has invaluable input on Canada’s historical literature. The book serves as a very important reference for the government, influencers, policymakers, history researchers, investigators, and health administrators. Through the book, a reader understands the existing inequalities between the indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians. The level of research put into the book, and its narrative style make it an important addition to the historical references of the Canadian people. Not only is the book useful for historical understanding but also for purposes of decision making, especially by policymakers and health professionals. The remarkable nature in which the book highlights historical events makes it a must-read for any student of history as no other book gives an account of historical events without bias like the book in the subject.
References
Daschuk, J. W. (2021). Clearing the plains: Disease, politics of starvation and the loss of Aboriginal life (pp. 432-462). University of Toronto Press.
Gavigan, S. A. (2012). Hunger, horses, and government men: Criminal law on the Aboriginal Plains, 1870-1905. UBC Press.