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CROWFOOT: Chief of the BlackfeetCROWFOOT. Chief of the Blackfeet. Hugh A. Dempsey. Paperback, (1929), repr. 1972, Biblio., Illus., Index, xix + 226 pp.
Volume 122 in The Civilization of the American Indian Series. This biography of a great Indian leader of the Canadian- American West is a welcome addition to the growing bibliography on North American Indians. Timely in its emphasis upon the life and character of a leader who devoted his life to the welfare of his Blackfoot people, it is equally valuable as a careful analysis of a diplomat and peacemaker who led his people through the perilous times that transformed them from nomadic hunters to reservation farmers, ranchers, and miners in western Canada. Crowfoot will be better known among historians as a result of this book. More important, his contributions as orator, peacemaker, and diplomat restore a balance of perspective upset by the traditional emphasis upon the warlike Sitting Bulls, Poundmakers, and Crazy Horses of popular history on both sides of the forty-ninth parallel. This biographical study is also a survey of the turbulent period on the northern plains in the decades from 186o to 189o. While many Indian leaders called for war to resist the white man's greed, injustice, and callousness, Crowfoot sought cooperation and peace. He curbed his fierce warrior's resentment because he understood the strength of white society and clearly saw what so many of his fellow chiefs ignored: the only real choice facing his people was annihilation or domination by white governments. Completely loyal to his own people, he thus called for loyalty to the Queen's government and skillfully avoided involvement in the tragic and costly outbreaks that so often brought reprisals upon neighboring tribes. His loyalty to the government during the Riel Rebellion in 1885 captured the attention of Eastern newspapers, making him something of a hero and capturing the imagination of politicians and citizens alike. Romantics believed this loyalty grew out of an affection for the Crown and a respect for the redcoated justice of the Northwest Mounted Police. Realists, such as Father Lacombe, understood that he worked for peace because of a shrewd appraisal of self-interest. Crowfoot embraced the doctrine of "one law for all people" in the Canadian West. In marked contrast to experiences south of the international boundary, where law enforcement rested in the hands of local citizens and population pressure ignored federal regulations, Crowfoot's efforts to preserve peace and to lead his people into a new era were rewarded. There is both sadness and hope in the picture of the one-time warrior, hoe in hand, working in the fields as an example to his people. Hugh Dempsey has given us an intimate portrait of a great leader who devoted his life to his people. He also has written a convincing biography of a peacemaker who risked his life for his beliefs and deserves the reputation he earned as "father of his people." #PL-09 |