***This post is going to primarily be about the 2011 documentary Wiebo’s War by director/producer David York which can be seen for free at the National Film Board website. It will also draw upon the book ‘Saboteurs: Weibo Ludwig's War against Big Oil' by Andrew Nikiforuk for added information.*** The events of the late 1990s which came to be known as … Continue reading Film Studies – Wiebo’s War
Supplemental Reading – The Inconvenient Indian
If you’re going to read one book about the First Nations of Canada and the United States, this is it. I’m not saying this because Thomas King wrote the definitive book on the subject, or that he’s the greatest writer of our time (although he is a fantastic, award winning writer). What makes ‘The Inconvenient … Continue reading Supplemental Reading – The Inconvenient Indian
Supplemental Reading – WAAAGH!!!
So I've already gone and made a couple of references to Orks (spelled with a ‘k’) which I should probably explain, given that I'm probably going to make a lot more before this deconstruction is done. It also gives me an excuse to talk about some of my favourite pulp science fiction series. Today's Supplemental … Continue reading Supplemental Reading – WAAAGH!!!
Supplemental Reading: Oka: A Political Crisis and its Legacy.
***It's worth noting that, while Swain's memoirs are both well written and valuable as an historical resource, it's fair to mention that he does come with his share of bias. Just as the more passionate Indigenous activists are uncomfortable admitting the close ties between the Mohawk Warriors and organized crime (specifically cigarette smuggling and casino/bingo … Continue reading Supplemental Reading: Oka: A Political Crisis and its Legacy.
A Break for the Cops…
This is a follow on to my examination of The Break, which becomes a better and better novel the more I think of it. There’s a couple of other aspects of the novel that I wanted to raise that I’m going to want to reference as we go on with Uprising. Since they didn’t really … Continue reading A Break for the Cops…
Additional Reading: ‘The Break’ by Katherina Vermette
***This is going to be both a review of a novel dealing with violence against women and girls, as well as a discussion about alcohol use and abuse both within Indigenous communities and within the CAF. These are uncomfortable subjects and I think I managed to discuss it with care and tact, but be warned … Continue reading Additional Reading: ‘The Break’ by Katherina Vermette
9-Pocket Revision
****Please Note that I am drawing heavily on Carol Off’s excellent history “The Ghosts of Medak Pocket” for this next section of the deconstruction. While a great deal has been written about the collapse of the former Yugoslavia, Carol’s book is one of the only ones to focus exclusively on this little known battle and … Continue reading 9-Pocket Revision
Supplemental Reading: The Defence of Duffer’s Drift
****An important note about the novel I’ll be discussing here. Published in 1905, it takes place during the Boer War of 1899-1902 and was written by a veteran of that war who was by then a career British officer and who came of age during the height of the British Empire. As such, his perspectives … Continue reading Supplemental Reading: The Defence of Duffer’s Drift