Mi’sel Joe: An Aboriginal Chief’s
Journey chronicles both the life of an
individual and that of his people. Mi’sel Joe is the traditional and
administrative chief of Newfoundland’s Conne River Mi’kmaq Reserve. Through
a series of taped interviews with Raoul Andersen and John Crellin, Mi’sel
Joe tells his life story, including his unorthodox education through the
many migratory jobs that took him as far west as Alberta.
Mi’sel Joe also speaks of a
community fighting for the right to determine its own future. He tells of
the struggle to revitalize traditional values in the face of racial
prejudice. He reveals the steps being taken by aboriginal leaders, both in
this province and elsewhere, to help their people gain respect in a white
man’s world without losing their own identity. Mi’sel Joe’s story is his
own, but it is also a window into Mi’kmaq history, culture, and traditions.
Canadian Aboriginal Books for Schools
2009–2010 Selection
Shortlisted for
the Democracy 250 Atlantic Book Award for Historical Writing
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