A St.Timothy's member (and a regular Church Library borrower) had informed me of this historical, out of print book, published in 1915. Thank you, Ursula.
In the Wake of the War Canoe is the Venerable William Henry Collison's memoir of his life setting up missions on the B.C. coast. He was the Archdeacon of Metlakahtla, in British Columbia.
The excellent virtual pdf book link, page by page...:
http://www.archive.org/stream/wakewarcanoe00collrich#page/18/mode/2up
A good review of the book, by Adele Case, Britannia Secondary School, Vancouver, BC. -
"Collison introduced the natives of the Queen Charlotte Islands to civilizing influences, and his life appears a testimonial to many virtues: fortitude, devotion to duty, honesty, fairness, and indomitability. Mrs. Collison, too, must have been admired by the many people she nursed and helped. At times there is a sermonistic, almost smug note (especially when heathen Indians reject old evil practices to die as voluble Christians)... this tone was common in serious works of the Victorian era writers.
The book deserves a careful reading by all who are fascinated by Northwest coast history. Whether he is writing about the hunting of sea otters, trading voyages with his Haida friends, struggles against the "demon alcohol" or smallpox, or the factional disputes between tribes, one is again and again surprised at the versatility of the man. Realizing that he must instruct the tribesmen in their own language, he quickly became a fluent linguist, often mediating in tribal disputes. Shamans and necromancers tried to scoff at his message, but his white man's medicine was strong, his converts increased, and his own sterling character acted like a magnet to lead many natives toward Christian rites.
The chapters dealing with the complexities of the crest system, the potlatch ceremony, and the symbolism of swans-down, will fascinate anyone who appreciates the art and traditions of the Pacific coast original peoples. If only there had been more illustrations!" (http://umanitoba.ca/cm/cmarchive/vol11no1/inthewake.html)
Other "virtual read" versions of this book can be found here: (ie. text,Daisy, Kindle, etc...)http://openlibrary.org/books/OL7132133M/In_the_wake_of_the_war_canoe
No comments:
Post a Comment