Eight Styles To The Unholy Siksik Nation

The Circle Game

Memory Speaks

From an award-winning writer and linguist, a scientific and personal meditation on the phenomenon of language loss and the possibility of renewal. As a child Julie Sedivy left Czechoslovakia for Canada, and English soon took over her life. By early adulthood she spoke Czech rarely and badly, and when her father died unexpectedly, she lost not only a beloved parent but also her firmest point of connection to her native language. As Sedivy realized, more is at stake here than the loss of language: there is also the loss of identity. Language is an important part of adaptation to a new culture, and immigrants everywhere face pressure to assimilate. Recognizing this tension, Sedivy set out to understand the science of language loss and the potential for renewal. In Memory Speaks, she takes on the psychological and social world of multilingualism, exploring the human brainÕs capacity to learnÑand forgetÑlanguages at various stages of life. But while studies of multilingual experience provide resources for the teaching and preservation of languages, Sedivy finds that the challenges facing multilingual people are largely political. Countering the widespread view that linguistic pluralism splinters loyalties and communities, Sedivy argues that the struggle to remain connected to an ancestral language and culture is a site of common ground, as people from all backgrounds can recognize the crucial role of language in forming a sense of self. Distinctive and timely, Memory Speaks combines a rich body of psychological research with a moving story at once personal and universally resonant. As citizens debate the merits of bilingual education, as the worldÕs less dominant languages are driven to extinction, and as many people confront the pain of language loss, this is badly needed wisdom.

Conquest by Law

This document, originally written in 1978, is a comprehensive report on the traditional forms of justice among Aboriginal peoples across Canada and the impact that western settlement had on those systems. It begins with a chapter on traditional justice among the Micmac and Naskapi. Part 2 covers the struggle for power as Europeans invaded traditional Aboriginal lands, and includes descriptions of civilizations & traditional justice of the First Nations of the central regions (Ojibwe, Iroquois, Huron). Part 3 covers traditional & European justice in the British colonial period, 1763-1867. Part 4 reviews the effect of Canadian legislation on Native peoples after Confederation, especially in the western provinces, and the numerous rebellions & protest actions against injustice. The final part covers the period from the granting of the unconditional franchise to Aboriginal peoples and the various movements for Aboriginal rights and a reformed justice system.