Book

A poison stronger than love: the destruction of an Ojibwa community

Yale University PressNew Haven • Published In 1985 • Pages:

By: Shkilnyk, Anastasia M..

Abstract
In this study, Shkilnyk documents the terrible consequences of an overly paternalistic and misguided government community development program. In 1963, the Department of Indian Affairs coerced 500 Ojibwas to abandon their isolated and spacious settlement and move to a cramped suburban-style housing complex. Closer to the highway, the new settlement was connected to the town of Kenora whose employment opportunities and business services would have a modernizing influence on the band, or so policy-makers thought. Wage work in town and a fall in fur prices broke up the traditional winter practice of trapping by extended families. In 1970, the discovery of mercury poisoning in the nearby lakes and rivers closed down commercial and sports fishing, which had been important sources of employment and income for the band. With all former productive avenues cut off, the Grassy Narrows Ojibwa became totally dependent on government jobs and welfare. Alcoholism became rampant. Cases of child neglect, juvenile delinquency, violent deaths, and suicide were far above national averages. Shkilnyk shows how provincial and federal governments failed to act responsibly to avoid liability.
Subjects
Internal migration
Acculturation and culture contact
Food quest
Environmental quality
Housing
Labor supply and employment
Commercialized sports
Ethnic stratification
Public welfare
Alcoholism and drug addiction
Delinquency
culture
Ojibwa
HRAF PubDate
2000
Region
North America
Sub Region
Arctic and Subarctic
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Regional Planner
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard ; 1998
Field Date
1976-1979
Coverage Date
1873-1980
Coverage Place
Twentieth Century Ojibwa, Grassy Narrows, Ontario, Canada
Notes
Anastasia M. Shkilnyk ; foreword by Kai Erikson ; photographs by Hiro Miyamatsu
Includes bibliographical references (p. 243-265) and index
LCCN
84040202
LCSH
Ojibwa Indians