Following the success of First Invaders, Alan Twigg turns his attention to First Nations writers, unearthing more than 300 books by more than 170 mostly unheralded aboriginal authors.
Taking the reader from residential schools to art galleries, this lively and unprecedented panorama of British Columbia includes trailblazer Pauline Johnson, political organizer George Manuel, Haida carver Bill Reid, indigenous rights activist Jeannette Armstrong, pioneering novelist Mourning Dove, actorChief Dan George, painters George Clutesi and Norval Morrisseau (living in Nanaimo), politician Len Marchand, playwright Marie Clements and Haisla novelist Eden Robinson.
Equally important, Aboriginality sheds new light on fascinating, lesser-known figures such as Chief William Sepass, Howard Adams, Domanic Charlie, Earl Maquinna George, George Hunt, Chief Charlie Nowell, Henry Pennier, Harry Robinson, Gordon Robinson (Eden Robinson's uncle), James Sewid and Michael Nicoll Yagulanaas-to name only a few. Nearly half the author profiles are women, including Marilyn Dumont, Lizette Hall, Heather Harris, Beverly Hungry Wolf, Mary John, Vera Manuel, Lee Maracle, Gloria Nahanee, Daphne Odjig, Bernadette Rosetti, Shirley Sterling, Gloria Cranmer Webster, Ellen White, Annabel Cropped Eared Wolf and Annie Zetco York.
Each author is presented in historical and chronological context, along with background material on aboriginal history, as well as rare photos, illustrations and a comprehensivebibliography.
Alan Twigg has written and published BC Bookworld, a cultural newspaper, since 1987. His sixteen books include: First Invaders (Ronsdale, 2004), Aboriginality (Ronsdale, 2005), i(Ronsdale, 2006), 101 Top Historical Sites of Cuba (Beach Holme, 2004), Intensive Care: A Memoir (Anvil Press, 2002), and Strong Voices: Conversations with 50 Canadian Writers (Harbour, 1988). He has also produced six films about authors and a music CD with David Lester for poet Bud Osborn.
He has conceived andcoordinated numerous literary prizes, and created and compiled a public service reference site, abcbookworld.com, to offer free information on more than 9,000 British Columbia authors. In 2000 he received the first annual Gray Campbell Award for outstanding contributions to the writing and publishing community of British Columbia. He was the Shadbolt Fellow at Simon Fraser University. He makes his home in Vancouver.
This book introduces 170 First Nations authors (including painters, carvers, illustrators and editors) who have collectively produced 300 books since 1900. The authors are chronologically sorted into four sections: writers who worked between 1900 and 1981; writers whose output followed the founding of Theytus Books and the En’owkin Centre; authors not primarily known for their literary output; and fifty-five abbreviated entries. Aboriginality acknowledges the individuals who made available primary source material to European ethnographers, anthropologists and artists recording early twentieth-century Aboriginal culture.
Alan Twigg is the author of eleven books, and the founder of BC BookWorldand a public service website: abcbookworld.com.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. BC Books for BC Schools. 2006-2007.