Walking in Indian Moccasins

In this book, F. Laurie Barron examines the Douglas government's policies with regard to Canada's First Peoples. He argues that, although CCF policies were generally well-intentioned, they were sometimes fundamentally flawed by paternalism and racist understanding. The goal of the CCF was to 'walk in Indian moccasins,' promising a degree of empathy with Native society in bringing about reforms. In practice, this aim was not always honoured, and this led to an overall policy of integration for the Indians of the province and total assimilation for the Metis. The book includes a commentary on the development of Indians and the Metis in Saskatchewan in the postwar period and demonstrates how Native political activism stemmed from a long tradition of organization and resistance. It also documents the CCF's accommodations to vested interests threatened by Indian and Metis reform.
Walking in Indian Moccasins makes a contribution to the historical record because most studies of this period have focused on policy at the federal level. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Saskatchewan, of Native people, and of the development of the social democratic tradition in Canada.

F. Laurie Barron is a professor in the Department of Native Studies, University of Saskatchewan.