Skyscrapers Hide the Heavens: A History of Indian-white Relations in Canada

In the five centuries since Europeans landed on Atlantic shores they have pursued aspirations at variance, and sometimes in direct conflict, with those of the Indian people who were here before them. As a result, they history of the Indian-white relations has often been a troubled one. J.R. Miller presents the first comprehensive account of that history, from the early, cooperative era of the fur trade to today's confrontations. For three hundred years the European newcomers were driven by the search for fish and furs, the desire to explore the land, and the will to evangelize the native people. The Indians chose to tolerate the Europeans' fishing, to embrace the fur trade, to help with exploration, and ignore, for the most part, attempts to harvest their souls. With the triumph of the agricultural frontier, however, the native people became an obstacle to the progress of the Europeans' plans. Co-operation gave way to coercion and, inevitably, coercion led to confrontation. Today, native organizations are strengthening to pursue their land claims and other objectives, and the aboriginal peoples are re-emerging as a force in Canadian life. They are cautioning other Canadians with the words of Micmac poet Rita Joe: 'while skyscrapers hide the heavens, they can fall.' In charting the course of these developments, Miller casts new light on a range of controversial subjects: the Northwest Rebellion, the policies of education, cultural assimilation, and political control from the 1880s to the 1950s, and the development of political relations since the Second World War.