Prison of Grass: Canada from a Native Point of View

Originally published in 1975, this important book is now back in print in a revised and updated edition. Since its first publication it has become a classic of revisionist history. Bringing a Native viewpoint to the settlement of the West, Howard Adam's book shook its readers. What Native people had to say for themselves was quite different from the convenient picture of history that even the most sympathetic books by white authors had presented. Until Adams's book, the cultural, historical, and psychological aspects of colonialism for Native people had not been explored in depth. In Prison of Grass Adams objects to the popular historical notion that Natives were warring savages, without government, seeking to be civilized. He contrasts the official history found in the federal government's documents with the unpublished history of the Indian and Métis people. In this new edition Howard Adams brings the latest statistics to bear on his arguments and provides a new Preface. --Publisher's description. Contents: The basis of racism -- The communal Indian society -- Fur traders trespass -- Colonization and missionaries -- Ossification of Native society -- The Halfbreed Nation and the civil war -- Subjugation of the Indians and Metis -- Causes of the 1885 struggle -- Ottawa invades the Northwest -- Courtroom : the mask of conquest -- The underdevelopment of Native communities -- Schooling the Redman -- The white ideal and the colonized personality -- The failure of Native leadership -- Decolonization and nationalism -- The struggle for liberation -- Appendix A. Casualties of Indians and Metis in 1885 Battles.