Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation

In recognition of Truth and Reconciliation Day, I started reading Valley of the Birdtail by Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Douglas Sanderson a few days ago and finished it up this morning. This book has the subtitle "An Indian reserve, a white town, and the road to reconciliation", hence my choosing it for this day. The authors examine the interactions between Waywayseecapo Reserve and the town of Rossburn in Manitoba. Like many other places in Canada, for many years there were bad relationships between Indigenous and white neighbours. Many of the elders on Waywayseecapo were "educated" in residential schools and the younger generations continue to feel the effects. In 2010, the federal government agreed to increase funding for the show more Indigenous students to equal the amount the students in the surrounding public schools received. The Waywayseecapo Elementary School became part of the school division, more services were available, class sizes were reduced and teachers were paid the same as their counterparts in the public schools. This has resulted in a considerable increase in Indigenous students passing grades and completing high school. It has also meant that the white and Indigenous children have exposure to the history of the other's culture. The book won a number of awards when it came out and, I have to say, the writing is terrific. In addition to telling the story of this one location, the authors expand to suggest that there needs to be a rewriting of the treaties so Indigenous peoples have access to revenue from the resources from the land of their traditional territories. I have my doubts as to whether this will ever come to pass but it's worth thinking about on this day if we hope to have true reconciliation. show less

This book provided a unique perspective on reconciliation by focusing on an Indian reserve and a small Manitoba town situated literally next door to each other. By examining difference in education funding and outcomes, in attitudes, in services available, the authors painted a very clear picture of what life is like for Indigenous vs. non-indigenous Canadians, and to some extant, why.

But the book is much more that a case study of two locations. It provides historical background to help the reader understand how Canada's history and political decisions affected Aboriginal peoples.

Highly readable, ultimately hopeful, and worth reading, whether to gain or to deepen your knowledge of how to achieve reconciliation.

This is a good book that is very readable and interesting, but it left me with more questions than answers. I thought there was a lot that was not said. Even so, it's a good read and I would recommend it for anyone interested in the subject matter.