Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search

Social Science Native American Studies

Chief Smallboy

The Pursuit of Freedom

by (author) Gary Botting

Publisher
Fifth House Books
Initial publish date
Nov 2005
Category
Native American Studies, Cultural Heritage, General, Native American
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781894856782
    Publish Date
    Nov 2005
    List Price
    $17.95

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

"The ripples from the stones that Smallboy cast in his lifetime have not yet subsided, indeed will never subside. He was a voice in the wilderness - a voice that insists, even now, on being heard."

Chief Smallboy was from the Ermineskin Reserve near Hobbema, Alberta. Gravely concerned about the corrupting effects of White society on his people, Smallboy spent fifteen years planning and dreaming a solution. Then, in 1968, with Simon Omeasoo and Lazarus Roan, he led 140 members of his band to establish a traditional Native community on sacred Indian land in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Life in the "Smallboy Camp" required vision and courage. Camp members were asked to give up the trappings of modern society, including television, drugs, and alcohol; follow the Indian Way, adopting traditional rituals and traditional Indian medicine; and learn to speak Cree as well as English. To shape the desired traditional lifestyle, Smallboy drew heavily from his memory of living a nomadic existence in Alberta and Montana as a child, and from the oral history provided by several mentors.

By 1978 Smallboy had become an important influence on Native politics, a living oracle with whom Native leaders consulted. In recognition of his unique leadership, Smallboy was invested as a member of the Order of Canada in 1980.

In writing Chief Smallboy: The Pursuit of Freedom, author Gary Botting followed Smallboy's example of relying on the vibrant and highly accurate Cree oral tradition for story details. Thus, he presents a fascinating account that approximates the way Chief Smallboy viewed himself and his family history, meticulously corroborated by written records and through other sources.

About the author

Gary Botting spent his early years as a journalist, award-winning playwright, and poet. He has also taught English at colleges and universities in Alberta and British Columbia. Botting became a lawyer in 1991, and since then has chosen to practice law in the areas of criminal appeals and trials, extradition, and refugee claims. He lives on Vancouver Island, BC.

Gary Botting's profile page

Editorial Reviews

"The personal anecdotes and narratives from those who knew Chief Smallboy intimately give a deeply personal feeling to the book."
- Prairie Books Now
"enthralling and unusually involving piece of non-fiction that reads as entertaining and urgent as the best fiction."
- CD syndicated