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| People of the Deer | |
|---|---|
| Name | People of the Deer |
| Author | Farley Mowat |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Inuit |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
| Pub date | 1952 |
| Pages | 352 |
People of the Deer
People of the Deer is a 1952 non-fiction book by Farley Mowat that chronicles the lives and struggles of an Inuit community in the Keewatin region of the Canadian Arctic during the mid-20th century. The book combines ethnography, journalism, and narrative storytelling to document interactions among Inuit families, the Hudson's Bay Company, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and governmental agencies such as the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Mowat's account brought attention to indigenous displacement, resource competition, and the social effects of colonial contact.
People of the Deer presents a field-based narrative focused on Inuit hunters and families confronting environmental change, external economic pressures, and shifting power relations. Mowat situates his narrative amid encounters with entities like the Hudson's Bay Company, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation while referencing figures including John Diefenbaker and administrators from the Department of National Defence whose policies shaped northern life. The text sought to raise public awareness in Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa about northern injustices.
The book emerged in the post-World War II period when northern sovereignty, resource development, and indigenous policy were prominent in Ottawa and international discourse. Mowat wrote against a backdrop that included debates involving leaders such as Louis St. Laurent, the strategic considerations of the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War, and domestic initiatives like the relocation of indigenous communities overseen by federal agencies. The Keewatin region's economy was shaped by fur trade networks led by the Hudson's Bay Company and by missionaries from organizations such as the United Church of Canada and Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Anthropological work by scholars linked to the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History, and Canadian institutions informed contemporary understandings of Inuit social organization, but Mowat aimed to highlight the lived consequences of policy and commerce.
Mowat recounts journeys with Inuit families, notably hunters living near posts and settlements influenced by the Hudson's Bay Company trading system and visits from agents of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He describes seasonal migrations tied to caribou herds, contact with missionaries from orders like the Jesuits, and interactions with government agents from the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and researchers affiliated with the National Film Board of Canada. The narrative follows crises precipitated by declining caribou populations, competition with non-indigenous trappers, and administrative decisions made in Ottawa and implemented by local officials, invoking figures such as policemen, traders, and clergy who mediated northern life.
Key themes include colonialism, cultural survival, and ecological change. Mowat emphasizes the impact of market integration via companies like the Hudson's Bay Company and the role of state institutions such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in reshaping Inuit mobility and subsistence. The book engages with debates addressed by scholars and public figures including Franz Boas, Margaret Mead, and contemporaneous critics in newspapers like the Globe and Mail. It interrogates how policies advocated by politicians such as John Diefenbaker and administrators in Ottawa affected hunting rights, social cohesion, and health outcomes among Inuit populations.
Upon publication, the work provoked strong reactions across Canadian cultural and political institutions. Literary critics in Toronto and Vancouver praised Mowat's vivid prose while officials in Ottawa and representatives of the Hudson's Bay Company contested some claims. The book influenced public discussion in forums including broadcasts on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and coverage in periodicals like Maclean's and the Globe and Mail, contributing to policy debates on northern administration. It also reached international audiences attentive to indigenous issues in contexts involving the United Nations and human rights advocates.
People of the Deer was translated into several languages and adapted into documentary formats by organizations such as the National Film Board of Canada. Translations circulated in markets across Europe and North America, engaging readers familiar with works by authors like Jack London and activists working with organizations such as Amnesty International. Radio dramatizations and filmic treatments referenced in archives at the University of Toronto and the Library and Archives Canada extended the book's reach.
The legacy of Mowat's account is contested: admirers including environmentalists and indigenous advocates credit the book with raising awareness about northern welfare, while critics from academic and commercial quarters, including some associated with the Hudson's Bay Company and Canadian civil servants, challenged its accuracy. Debates involved scholars at institutions like the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, and the Canadian Museum of History, and commentators such as Pierre Berton and journalists at the Toronto Star. Controversies over representation, factual claims, and the role of narrative in advocacy continue to animate assessments of the work in Canadian literary history and discussions in indigenous rights forums, including organizations like the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and panels convened by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.
Category:1952 books Category:Canadian non-fiction books Category:Inuit books