article

An Arab community in the Canadian northwest: a preliminary discussion of the Lebanese community in Lac La Biche Alberta

Anthropologica10 (2) • Published In 1968 • Pages: 143-156

By: Barclay, Harold B..

Abstract
In 1967, 244 Arab-Canadians of Lebanese descent lived in the Lac La Biche area of east central Alberta. The original immigrants all come from two neighboring villages in Lebanon and 30 percent belong to one lineage; most immigrated in the years following the Second World War. All but one have since married within the Lebanese-Muslim group, some returning to their original villages in Lebanon to find wives. Two-thirds of the Lebanese-born married men engage in mink ranching. Two elite families dominate the local community. There is little interaction between the Lebanese and other ethnic groups. The Métis supply the farmers fish for their mink, shop in Lebanese stores, and rent Lebanese-owned rooms and houses.
Subjects
External migration
Retail marketing
Community structure
Inter-ethnic relations
culture
Arab Canadians
HRAF PubDate
1999
Region
North America
Sub Region
Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnographer
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard ; 1998
Field Date
1967
Coverage Date
1905-1968
Coverage Place
Lac La Biche, Alberta
Notes
by Harold B. Barclay
LCCN
56004160
LCSH
Arabs--Canada