This is archived content. Visit the News page for recent articles.

New Oral History Book Published

After over 20 years in the making, Our Whole Gwich’in Way of Life Has Changed / Gwich’in K’yuu Gwiidandài’ Tthak Ejuk Gòonlih Stories from the People of the Land (by Leslie McCartney and Gwich’in Tribal Council) has been published by the University of Alberta Press (Canada).

From UA Press:  This is an invaluable compilation of historical and cultural information based on a project originally conceived by the Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute to document the biographies of the oldest Gwich’in Elders in the Gwich’in Settlement Region in Canada. Through their own stories, twenty-three Gwich’in Elders from the Northwest Territories communities of Fort McPherson, Tsiigehtshik, Inuvik, and Aklavik share their joy of living and travelling on the land. Their distinctive voices speak to their values, world views, and knowledge, while McCartney assists by providing context and background on the lives of the narrators and their communities. Scholars, students, and all those interested in Canadian/Northern history, anthropology, Indigenous Studies, oral history, or cultural geography will benefit from this critical resource.

Elders Who Contributed Their Stories: Antoine Andre, Caroline Andre, Hyacinthe Andre, Annie Benoit, Pierre Benoit, Sarah Bonnetplume, Marka Bullock, Lydia Alexie Elias, Mary Martha Firth, Sarah Ann Gardlund, Elizabeth Greenland, Violet Therese Jerome, Peter Kay Sr., Mary Rose Kendi, Ruby Anne McLeod, Catherine Martha Mitchell, Eunice Mitchell, Joan Ross Nazon, Annie Moses Norbert, Alfred Semple, Sarah Simon, Ellen Catherine Vittrekwa, Jim Julius Vittrekwa.

Book details

Publication date: December 2020

Features: 24 B&W photographs, 3 maps, appendix, reading list, bibliography, index

Keywords: Indigenous teaching, first-hand account, traditional knowledge, fundamental virtues, testament of self-determination, identity, Caribou people, historical accounts, land, spirituality, cross-cultural understanding, Dene, North, oral tradition

Subject(s): SOCIAL SCIENCE / Indigenous Studies, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional / Native American & Aboriginal, Indigenous peoples, Social & cultural anthropology, Biography: general, Indigenous Studies / Traditional Knowledge / Oral History, Indigenous teaching, first-hand account, traditional knowledge, fundamental virtues, testament of self-determination, identity, Caribou people, historical accounts, land, spirituality, cross-cultural understanding, Dene, North, oral tradition, Indigenous Authors, Biography, Anthropology, Arctic.

Price:  $99.99 (Canadian Dollars). All royalties go to Gwich’in Tribal Council.

Print Run: 1,000 

Ordering a Copy:  You can order a hard or digital copy directly from the University of Alberta Press website.