Backgrounding the News, Part 2: Indian Residential Schools and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

On June 2nd of this year, Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission achieved a historic milestone: after six years of gathering testimony from 7, 000 witnesses, the Commission released a summary from its final report into the history and legacy of the Indian Residential School system in Canada.

The numbers are striking. Over 100 years, 139 residential schools operated across Canada. Before the the last school was finally shut down in 1996, 150, 000 First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students had been made to attend these institutions, leaving an estimated 80, 000 Survivors and 6, 000 dead children. More arresting, however, are the statements made by survivors, in their own words.

Although the full report will not be made available until later in the year, the summary includes 94 recommendations which call on the various levels of government, public servants, teachers, and other Canadians to acknowledge the direct harm done by the Indian Residential School system to First Nation, Métis, and Inuit children and their families. More broadly, the Commission has drawn up the terms by which the relationship among our various peoples can and must go forward.


To better understand the experiences of residential school Survivors and to learn more about what you can do to engage in this process of reconciliation, have a look at these books from Halifax Public Libraries' own collection.

The Education of Augie Merasty: a residential school memoir by Joseph Auguste Merasty with David Carpenter

They Called Me Number One: secrets and survival at an Indian residential school by Bev Sellars

Back to the Red Road: a story of survival, redemption and love by Florence Kaefer and Edward Gamblin

Out of the depths : the experiences of Mi'kmaw children at the Indian Residential School at Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia by Isabelle Knockwood, with Gillian Thomas

Rethinking the Great White North: race, nature, and the historical geographies of whiteness in Canada, edited by Andrew Baldwin, Laura Cameron, and Audrey Kobayashi

The Comeback by John Ralston Saul

Dreaming in Indian: contemporary Native American voices, edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale.

Indigenous Healing: exploring traditional paths by Rupert Ross

First Nations Communites Read shortlist - 2015-2016

The First Nations Communities READ was a initiative by the First Nations Public Library group in Ontario to celebrate and share fine examples of First Nations writing with intention of not only promoting the books, but also to foster family literac and intergenerational storytelling

Up Ghost River by  Edmund Metatawabin and Alexandra Shimo

"A powerful, raw yet eloquent memoir from a residential school survivor and former First Nations Chief, Up Ghost River is a necessary step toward our collective healing. In the 1950s, 7-year-old Edmund Metatawabin was separated from his family and placed in one of Canada’s worst residential schools. St. Anne’s, in north­ern Ontario, is an institution now notorious for the range of punishments that staff and teachers inflicted on students. Even as Metatawabin built the trappings of a successful life—wife, kids, career—he was tormented by horrific memories. Fuelled by alcohol, the trauma from his past caught up with him, and his family and work lives imploded. In seeking healing, Metatawabin travelled to southern Alberta. There he learned from elders, par­ticipated in native cultural training workshops that emphasize the holistic approach to personhood at the heart of Cree culture, and finally faced his alcoholism and PTSD. " publisher

Dreaming in Indian: contemporary Native American voices by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Leatherdale

"A powerful and visually stunning anthology from some of the most groundbreaking Native artists working in North America today. Truly universal in its themes, Dreaming In Indian will shatter commonly held stereotypes and challenge readers to rethink their own place in the world. Divided into four sections, 'Roots,' 'Battles,' 'Medicines,' and 'Dreamcatchers,' this book offers readers a unique insight into a community often misunderstood and misrepresented by the mainstream media." publisher

Rose's Run by Dawn Dumont

"Rose Okanese, a single mother with two kids, has been pushed into a corner by Rez citizens to claim some self-respect, and decides that the fastest way to do that would be for her to run the reserve's annual marathon. Though Rose hasn't run in twenty years, smokes and initially has little motivation, she announces her intention to run the race. One quality Rose doesn't lack is spontaneity which sometimes clashes with her iron will and though she has initial regrets about opening her mouth, her life begins to dictate that she must follow through. But as fate will dictate, one rather huge unforeseen outcome of her decision is that she will have to do battle with an old inadvertently conjured demon that feeds off the strength of women." publisher

Peace Pipe Dreams by Darrell Dennis

"Darrell Dennis is a stereotype-busting, politically incorrect Native American/Aboriginal/Shuswap (Only he's allowed to call himself an "Indian." Maybe. Under some circumstances). With a large dose of humour and irreverence, he untangles some of the truths and myths about First Nations: Why do people think Natives get free trucks, and why didn't he ever get one? Why does the length of your hair determine whether you’re good or bad? By what ratio does the amount of rain in a year depend on the amount of cactus liquor you consume? In addition to answering these burning questions, Dennis tackles some tougher subjects. He looks at European-Native interactions in North America from the moment of first contact, discussing the fur trade, treaty-signing and the implementation of residential schools." publisher

All the Way: my life on ice by Jordin Tootoo

"It seemed as though nothing could stop Jordin Tootoo on the ice. The captain of Canada’s Under-18, a fan favourite on the World Junior squad, and a WHL top prospect who could intimidate both goalies and enforcers, he was always a leader. And when Tootoo was drafted by Nashville in 2000 and made the Predators out of camp in 2003, he became a leader in another way: the first player of Inuk descent to suit up in the NHL. The stress of competition in the world’s top hockey league, the travel, the media, the homesickness—and the added pressure to hold one’s head high as a role model not only for the young people of his hometown of Rankin Inlet but for the culture that had given him the strength and the opportunities to succeed—would have been more than enough to challenge any rookie. But Tootoo faced something far more difficult: the loss of his brother in the year between his draft and his first shift for the Predators. ... It is the searing, honest tale of a young man who has risen to every challenge and nearly fallen short in the toughest game of all, while finding a way to draw strength from his community and heritage, and giving back to it as well." publisher

Backgrounding the News, Part 1

Newspapers, magazines, The World at Six, but also: websites, apps, and podcasts: for a news junkie such as myself, there are so many exciting ways to get my fix each day. As independent media critics like Jesse Brown and Elon James White point out, however, the news that is reported by major media outlets is often a distortion of the bigger picture.

For those who want to learn more about the story behind the story, I present this post; one in a series which offers supplementary reading on the major events that made the news.

--

Part 1: #BaltimoreUprising

When Freddy Gray was killed in police custody on April 19th of this year, outraged Baltimoreans took to the streets to protest his murder and an overall pattern of police brutality against the Black community. Dismissed as "rioters" and "thugs", representations of the protestors by reporters from CTV, CNN, and Fox News, in particular, have been subject to intense scrutiny by media critics and academics.

A common criticism of the mainstream media is that news coverage frequently lacks context. Editors for the Baltimore Sun, for example, have pointed out that what happened to Freddy Gray is part of a larger problem that includes a history of police corruption and "decades of social and economic devastation" in communities like Sandtown-Winchester, the neighbourhood in Baltimore where Gray lived and died.

To learn more about the overall context in which this story is based, check out these titles from our collection.

Red Summer: the summer of 1919 and the awakening of Black America by Cameron McWhirter

Racialized Policing: aboriginal people's encounters with the police by Elizabeth Comack

Killing Rage: ending racism by bell hooks

The Condemnation of Blackness: race, crime, and the making of modern urban America by Khalil Gibran Muhammad

News for All the People: the epic story of race and the American media by Juan González and Joseph Torres

Reproducing Racism: how everyday choices lock in white advantage by Daria Roithmayr

Visitor: my life in Canada by Anthony Stewart

October is Mi’kmaq History Month

"Mi’kmaw history and culture is like a puzzle that has many different pieces. It is our stories and legends that help put all the pieces of the puzzle together into a picture we can call our own." - Mi’kmaq Association for Cultural Studies. 

Read more about Mi’kmaw history and culture on the website of the Mi’kmaq Association for Cultural Studies

Mi’kmaw people have enriched our province with their legends, art, music, spirituality, and language. Enjoy this selection of stories about the culture, language and history of native peoples of Nova Scotia:

We Are the Dreamers: recent and early poetry by Rita Joe

"A book of new poems from Cape Breton Mi`kmaw writer Rita Joe, Order of Canada recipient and respected spokesperson. These poems offer evidence of author’s continuing journey to understand and to share the unique combination of native spirituality and Christianity that is her daily life. Her poems are small, tough monuments, left in our care. This book is a keeper. “

Stones and Switches by Lorne Joseph Simon

“Stones and Switches takes the reader into the world of the Mi’kmaq during the depression era - a world where beautiful legends and terrible spiritual powers meet; a world where a hard-working people struggle against poverty, racism and lethal epidemics; a world where one sensitive, young man, caught by events, questions the idea of free will and is tempted to do something - even something wrong - in order to assert his will.”

Cibou by Susan Young de Biagi

"Sensitive and enlightening, Cibou is set in 17th-century Mi'kma'ki, territory of the Mi'kmaq of Maritime Canada. The story is that of a young Mi'kmaw woman and her relationship with Jesuit missionary Anthony Daniel - a historical figure who was stationed in Cape Breton - and his brother, Captain Charles Daniel who had established a French fishing and trading post there. Susan Biagi has woven a marvelously intuitive tale ... at once beautiful and harsh, observing the simple and dangerous lives of cultures interacting on the threshold of new world history."

Six Mi’kmaq Stories retold by Ruth Holmes Whitehead, illustrated by Harold McGee

"These six Mi’kmaq stories are great tales, brilliantly retold by Ruth Whitehead. They have their roots firmly planted in the collective life of a people who had made Nova Scotia their home for centuries before the arrival of Europeans. They offer us a rare and valuable insight into the powerful relationship between the Micmac and the often surprising world in which they lived."

The World Above the Sky by Kent Stetson

“17-year-old Eugainia St Clare Delacroix - the Living Holy Grail - is transported from certain death at the hands of her enemies to the safety of the New World. The year is 1398. Fleet commander Prince Henry Sinclair clings to the dying Templar dream of establishing a New Arcadia with Eugainia enthroned at its beating heart. Eugainia lands, weakened and near death, on the Atlantic coast of present-day Canada. She meets Mimktawo'qu'sk of the peaceful tribe of Mi'kmaqs. In the time of the Two made One, Mimktawo'qu'sk and Eugainia redefine divinity and forge a new and shining world.”

Fiction with Buzz

Here are three intriguing recent releases that may have escaped your notice. All have been receiving great reviews and award nominations from afar.

Just Pretending (M)
by Lisa Bird-Wilson

This title is nominated for four Saskatchewan Book Awards, including book of the year.

"A debut short story collection from one of Canada's most exciting new Aboriginal voices. "In our family, it was Trish who was Going To Be Trouble; I was Such a Good Girl." At times haunting, at times hilarious, 'Just Pretending' explores the moments in life that send us down pathways predetermined and not-yet-forged. These are the liminal, defining moments that mark irreversible transitions n girl to mother, confinement to freedom, wife to murderer. They are the melodramatic car-crash moments n the outcomes both horrific and too fascinating to tear our eyes from. And they are the unnoticed, infinitely tiny moments, seemingly insignificant (even ridiculous) yet holding the power to alter, to transform, to make strange. What links these stories is a sense of characters working n both with success and without, through action or reaction n to separate reality from perception and to make these moments into their lives' new truths."" - publisher

Let Him Go: a novel (M)
by Larry Watson

Winner of the Montana Book of the Year.

"Dalton, North Dakota. It's September 1951: years since George and Margaret Blackledge lost their son James when he was thrown from a horse; months since his widow Lorna took off with their only grandson and married Donnie Weboy. Margaret is steadfast, resolved to find and retrieve her grandson Jimmy - the one person in this world keeping James's memory alive - while George, a retired sheriff, is none too eager to stir up trouble. Unable to sway his wife from her mission, George takes to the road with Margaret by his side, traveling through the Dakota badlands to Gladstone, Montana. When Margaret tries to convince Lorna to return home to North Dakota and bring little Jimmy with her, the Blackledges find themselves entangled with the entire Weboy clan, who are determined not to give up the boy without a fight..." - publisher

We Live in Water (M)
by Jess Walter

A winning short story collection selected by the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association.

"Stories in 'We Live in Water' range from comic tales of love to social satire and suspenseful crime fiction. Traveling from hip Portland to once-hip Seattle to never-hip Spokane, to a condemned casino in Las Vegas and a bottomless lake in the dark woods of Idaho, this is a world of lost fathers and redemptive con men, of personal struggles and diminished dreams." - publisher

Honouring Mi'kmaq History

 




The Language of this Land, Mi'kma'ki (M)
by Trudy Sable and Bernie Francis

"The Language of this Land, Mi’kma’ki is an exploration of Mi’kmaw world view as expressed in language, legends, song and dance – these include not only place names and geologic history, but act as maps of the landscape. In this book, Sable and Francis illustrate the fluid nature of reality inherent in its expression – its embodiment in networks of relationships with the landscape. Language has sustained the Mi’kmaq to the present day, a product of a lineage of Elders who spoke it, who danced the dances and walked this land, Mi’kma’ki, carrying its traditions forward despite centuries of cultural disruption,
discrimination and degradation." - publisher

We Honour the Water (M)  - compact disc
by A Tribe Called Mi'kmaq

"A Tribe Called Mi’kmaq formed in 2008 and this is our first cd. We are all from the Mi’kmaq Nation living in Nova Scotia. In the First Nation tradition when we dance and sing we do so to celebrate our health and that of our people. Our songs are prayers for the health and well being of the people. At this time we need to pray for the water. The life, culture and strength of the Mi'kmaq people can not be separated from the water. We wish to dedicate this cd to the life blood of our people and encourage all to remember that water is precious and must be defended at all cost."


Stories from the Six Worlds: Mi'kmaw legends (M)
by Ruth Holmes Whitehead

"In Stories from the Six Worlds, it is their stories, passed down by word of mouth, that best preserve and present Mi’kmaw culture. For in their tales, the People themselves speak about their world and give us glimpses of how their universe manifests, in all its fascinating otherness. Mi'kmaw stories have many levels: entertainment, instruction, warnings. They might subtly encode maps of the land's important resources, or of the wheeling skies at night. Telling stories, Elders wove humour and stark tragedy, terror and beauty, to teach their listeners how to survive. More importantly, they underlined, over and over again, how their listeners, as humans, must conduct themselves. Their tales resound with the universal themes included in any worldview—Order and Chaos, Courage and Fear, Change, Revenge and Mercy, Death, Rebirth, and Power—yet are powerfully rooted in Mi'kmaw tradition, Mi'kmaw land. Their voices still speak to us, down the centuries." - publisher

The Colonization of Mi'kmaw Memory and History, 1794-1928 : the King v. Gabriel Sylliboy (M)
by William C. Wicken

"In 1927, Gabriel Sylliboy, the Grand Chief of the Mi'kmaw of Atlantic Canada, was charged with trapping muskrats out of season. At appeal in July 1928, Sylliboy and five other men recalled conversations with parents, grandparents, and community members to explain how they understood a treaty their people had signed with the British in 1752. Using this testimony as a starting point, William Wicken traces Mi'kmaw memories of the treaty, arguing that as colonization altered Mi'kmaw society, community interpretations of the treaty changed as well.

The Sylliboy case was part of a broader debate within Canada about Aboriginal peoples' legal status within Confederation. In using the 1752 treaty to try and establish a legal identity separate from that of other Nova Scotians, Mi'kmaw leaders contested federal and provincial attempts to force their assimilation into Anglo-Canadian society. Integrating matters of governance and legality with an exploration of historical memory, The Colonization of Mi'kmaw Memory and History offers a nuanced understanding of how and why individuals and communities recall the past." publisher

Real Justice: Convicted for being Mi'kmaq: the story of Donald Marshall Jr. (M)
by Bill Swan

"When a black teen was murdered in a Sydney, Cape Breton park late one night, his young companion, Donald Marshall Jr., became a prime suspect. Sydney police coached two teens to testify against Donald which helped convict him of a murder he did not commit. He spent 11 years in prison until he finally got a lucky break. Not only was he eventually acquitted of the crime, but a royal commission inquiry into his wrongful conviction found that a non-aboriginal youth would not have been convicted in the first place. Donald became a First Nations activist and later won a landmark court case in favour of native fishing rights. He was often referred to as the "reluctant hero" of the Mi'kmaq community." publisher

First Nation Communities Read shortlist

"First Nation Communities Read kicks off its 10th anniversary celebrations with a five-title shortlist for 2013-2014.

The First Nation Communities Read program is the Ontario First Nation public library community’s contribution to the popular community reading movement. Through its featured Aboriginal titles, First Nation Communities Read encourages family literacy and intergenerational storytelling, and promotes the publication, sharing, and understanding of Aboriginal voices and experiences. The shortlisted titles are listed below."

Indian Horse (M)
by Richard Wagamese

"Saul Indian Horse has hit bottom. His last binge almost killed him and now he's a reluctant resident in a treatment centre. But Saul wants peace and he realizes that he'll only find it through telling his story. Beginning with his childhood on the land, he embarks on a journey through his life as a northern Ojibway, with all its joys and sorrows." - Publisher 

Motorcycles and Sweetgrass (M)
by Drew Hayden Taylor

"Otter Lake is an Anishnaawbe Reserve buried deep in central Ontario. It is a community with a few problems. But then a mysterious, handsome white stranger named John arrives riding a vintage 1954 Indian Chief motorcycle. Who he is nobody knows, except Lillian who happens to be on her deathbed. When she summons him during her final farewells, she also charges him with a mission to help the people she loves, whom she is leaving behind. Drew Hayden Taylor, an Ojibway with an accomplished literary career, brings his insider view of life on the reserve in his personable and funny way." -Publisher

Nobody Cries at BINGO (M)
by Dawn Dumont

"In 'Nobody Cries At Bingo', the narrator, Dawn, invites the reader to witness first hand Dumont family life on the Okanese First Nation. Beyond the sterotypes and clichés of Rez dogs, drinking, and bingos, the story of a girl who loved to read begins to unfold. It is her hopes, dreams, and indomitable humour that lay bear the beauty and love within her family. It is her unerring eye that reveals the great bond of family expressed in the actions and affections of her sisters, aunties, uncles, brothers, cousins, nieces, nephews, and ultimately her ancestors. It's all here -- life on the Rez in rich technicolour -- as Dawn emerges from home life, through school life, and into the promise of a great future. 'Nobody Cries At Bingo' is a book that embraces cultural differences and does it with the great traditional medicine of laughter." - Publisher

A Stranger at Home: a true story (M) -Youth non-fiction -
by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton

"Traveling to be reunited with her family in the Arctic, 10-year-old Margaret Pokiak can hardly contain her excitement. It's been two years since her parents delivered her to the school run by the dark-cloakednuns and brothers. Coming ashore, Margaret spots her family, but her mother barely recognizes her, screaming, "Not my girl." Margaret realizes she is now marked as an outsider. And Margaret is an outsider: she has forgotten the language and stories of her people, and she can't even stomach the food her mother prepares. However, Margaret gradually relearns her language and her family's way of living. Along the way, she discovers how important it is to remain true to the ways of her people -- and to herself." - Publisher

Sugar Falls: a residential school story (M) - Graphic novel -
by  David Alexander Robertson

"Traveling to be reunited with her family in the Arctic, 10-year-old Margaret Pokiak can hardly contain her excitement. It's been two years since her parents delivered her to the school run by the dark-cloakednuns and brothers. Coming ashore, Margaret spots her family, but her mother barely recognizes her, screaming, "Not my girl." Margaret realizes she is now marked as an outsider. And Margaret is an outsider: she has forgotten the language and stories of her people, and she can't even stomach the food her mother prepares. However, Margaret gradually relearns her language and her family's way of living. Along the way, she discovers how important it is to remain true to the ways of her people -- and to herself." - Publisher

3 Canadian Novels to Make You Laugh

The Last Hiccup : a novel (M)
by Christopher Meades

"This darkly comedic novel by the Canadian author of The Three Fates of Henrik Nordmark follows the exploits of young Vladimir, a boy who can't get rid of the hiccups. Unable to sleep after weeks of hiccupping, Vlad is sent to Moscow to be treated by the best doctors in Russia. A team of doctors try everything from electroshock to drugs to metaphysical cures and even psychological treatments. Eventually Vlad goes to Mongolia to be cured of his possession by a mostly silent guru. After years in the wild, still hiccupping but at peace with his ailment, Vlad returns to a Russia much changed by World War II and by the onslaught of the 21st century.


VERDICT This wickedly funny story begins as a satirically simple look at a boy besieged by modern medicine and develops into an admirable portrayal of an unlikely hero trying to find his way in an absurd world. This novel will amuse and touch lovers of original literature, both light and serious." - Library Journal   

Husk: a novel (M)
by Corey Redekop

"Redekop follows up his 2007 debut, the very funky Shelf Monkey, with the story of Sheldon Funk, a struggling actor, who wakes up during his own autopsy. Undead but still functional, Funk looks for a way to keep himself out of the wrong people's hands, land a plum acting job, and (eventually) weather the storm of zombie superstardom before decomposition inevitably gets the best of him. Featuring Funk's ambitious agent and an unsavory doctor who finds gruesomely clever ways to keep Sheldon's body from falling apart too quickly, the story is a lesson in practical zombieing: what to do when you become a member of the walking dead, how to pass yourself off as (relatively) normal, how to learn to speak and walk again, and how to deal with your new meatcentric dietary requirements.

Very funny and full of nifty surprises, the story has a big heart, too, presenting Sheldon as an ordinary fella trying to come to terms with his extraordinary new situation. The ending is appropriate and packs a serious emotional wallop. Highly recommendable perhaps to more than zombie geeks." - Booklist

Nobody Cries at Bingo (M)
by Dawn Dumont

"In Nobody Cries At Bingo, the narrator, Dawn, invites the reader to witness first hand Dumont family life on the Okanese First Nation. Beyond the sterotypes and clichés of Rez dogs, drinking, and bingos, the story of a girl who loved to read begins to unfold. It is her hopes, dreams, and indomitable humour that lay bear the beauty and love within her family. It is her unerring eye that reveals the great bond of family expressed in the actions and affections of her sisters, aunties, uncles, brothers, cousins, nieces, nephews, and ultimately her ancestors.

It’s all here — life on the Rez in rich technicolour — as Dawn emerges from home life, through school life, and into the promise of a great future. Nobody Cries At Bingo embraces cultural differences and does it with the great traditional medicine of laughter."

First Nations Short Fiction

A Short History of Indians in Canada : stories (M)
by Thomas King

"An astonishing collection of new and classic tales. In 20 short tales, King pokes a sharp stick into the gears of the native myth-making machine, slyly exposing the raw underbelly of both historical and contemporary native-white relationships. Through the laughter, these stories shimmer brightly with the universal truths that unite us." -- Publisher

Born with a Tooth (M)
by Joseph Boyden

"A collection of thirteen beautifully written stories about aboriginal life in Ontario. They are stories of love, unexpected triumph, and a passionate belief in dreams. They are also stories of anger and longing, of struggling to adapt, of searching but remaining unfulfilled. The collection includes -Bearwalker,- a story that introduces a character who appears again in Boyden''s novel Three Day Road. By taking on a new voice in each story, Joseph Boyden explores aboriginal stereotypes and traditions in a most unexpected way. Whether told by a woman trying to forget her past or by a drunken man trying to preserve his culture, each story paints an unforgettable and varied image of modern aboriginal culture in Ontario."--Publisher.

War Dances  (M)
by Sherman Alexie

From National Book Award-winner Alexie comes a new collection of stories, poems, question and answer sequences, and hybrids of all three and beyond. In a penetrating voice that mixes humor with anger, Alexie pointedly asks, "If it is true that children pay for the sins of their fathers, then is it also true that fathers pay for the sins of their children?" Many of the stories revolve around the complexities of fatherhood; in the title story, the Native American narrator recalls his alcoholic father's death as he confronts his own mortality, and "The Ballad of Paul Nonetheless" is the tale of an eccentric vintage clothing salesman whose sexual attraction to his wife fades following the birth of their children. The collection also contains stirring defenses of artistic integrity; "Fearful Symmetry" is an incisive account of working as a young screenwriter for a Hollywood studio, and the poem "Ode to Mix Tapes" endorses hard work as the key ingredient behind any creation. Alexie unfurls highly expressive language, and while at times his jokes bomb and the characters' anger can feel forced, overall this is a spiritedly provocative array of tragic comedies." -- Publisher's Weekly

The Moon of Letting Go : and other stories (M)
by Richard Van Camp

"The stories in The Moon of Letting Go celebrate healing through modern day rituals that honour his Dogrib ancestry. Van Camp speaks in a range of powerful voices: a violent First Nations gangster has an astonishing spiritual experience, a single mother is protected from her ex by a dangerous medicine man, and a group of young men pay tribute to a friend by streaking through their northern town. The stories are set in First Nations communities in the Northwest Territories, Vancouver and rural British Columbia."--Publisher.

Profile - Canadian Crime Solver Meg Harris

Canadian mystery author R.J. Harlick first introduced the crime solving Meg Harris character in 2004's Death's Golden Whisper (M). 

Here is the series description from the author's website: 

This compelling series is set in the wilds of West Quebec, where trees out number people a million to one and lakes a thousand to one. Meg Harris fled the big city and a failed marriage to heal her bruised soul on the idyllic shores of Echo Lake, where her struggles to establish a new life are helped by her new friends in the Migiskin Reserve. But as the seasons change, her sought after peace is interrupted by injustice and murder. Unable to ignore it, she invariably becomes enmeshed in a quagmire of murderous intrigue and is racing to find the real killer before it’s too late.

And here is Harlick's description of Meg:

When Meg isn’t roaming through the surrounding forests or paddling her wooden canoe over the black waters of Echo Lake, she can be found in the sprawling verandah of her century-old cottage. She sits in her great-aunt’s bentwood rocker, placed to capture a clear view of the lake, the distant tree-covered hills and the lake’s pine-fringed island known as Whisper Island. Here she finds the peace she so desperately sought, that is, until the gods conspire to shatter it.

The fifth and latest book in the series is A Green Place for Dying (M):

“Meg Harris returns to Three Deer Point after her trip to the Arctic only to discover that the daughter of a friend has been missing from the Migiskan Reserve for over two months. Treating her as a runaway, the police refuse to do little more than a nominal search and continue to stall even when the girl's friend turns up murdered.

As the mother struggles with her daughter's disappearance, Meg vows to do what she can to find her and in the process discovers that she isn't the only native woman who has gone missing. Fearing the worst Meg delves ever deeper and uncovers an underside of life she would rather not know existed. When the search takes an unexpected turn, Meg is forced to finally face her own demons and admit to the guilt she's been hiding since a teenager.” - publisher