Weasel Tail

ISBN 13: 978-1-897126-28-8
240 pages, paperback
Spring 2008

Non-Fiction | First Nations

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about this book

The stories of Joe Crowshoe Sr.—a Peigan-Blackoot elder,
collected and written by Michael Ross.

Peigan elders Joe and Josephine Crowshoe belonged to a generation still bright with the traditional knowledge and deep memories of their grandparents. They lived under a paternalistic government system that denied them their language, culture, and religion. They reclaimed their heritage and shared it with the larger community receiving honours for their work and lifetime commitment as articulate representatives of Peigan stories, spirituality, and ceremonial practices. Weaving interviews together with archival photographs and documentation, interviewer Michael Ross tracks not only the life history of Joe and Josephine Crowshoe but also records stories of their culture. Weasel Tail  opens a window onto a world and people who form a vital part of Alberta's history and future.

reviews

"Crowshoe's stories of history, humanity, and humility offer guidance not just to youth as we Albertans step blithely into the coming years, enjoying unprecedented material wealth, but also disconnecting from each other. The unpretentious record of a ceremonialist's way of life could be an epitaph, pointing out places where we went wrong. ... Offered without intrusion from author Michael Ross, Weasel Tail is a true telling of the Old Man's -- as Crowshoe was affectionately known -- amazing life.” —Legacy Magazine

Weasel Tail “is a wealth of personal history and Blackfoot cultural knowledge … a multi-layered approach of telling Indigenous history.” —Canadian Literature
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