Susan Berry

Provincial Museum of Alberta

Jack Brink

This heavily illustrated, full colour book uses the framework of historical narrative to elucidate the past 11,000 years of Aboriginal history in present-day Alberta. In so doing, it conveys the challenges that Aboriginal people have confronted and celebrates the enduring legacy that they have created. From medicine wheels, buffalo jumps, and rock art images, the story moves forward through the fur trade era, the disappearance of the bison, and the long years of cultural suppression that followed the signing of treaties. Importantly, the story carries through to the present day, exploring grassroots political and cultural movements of the 1960s, contemporary self-government initiatives, and the ongoing reclamation of Aboriginal voice. Aboriginal Cultures in Alberta: Five Hundred Generations also showcases the diversity of Aboriginal groups in Alberta. The book was developed in consultation with and features the experiences and perspectives of Elders and representatives from First Nations and Metis communities throughout the province. With its recognition that Aboriginal people are a vital part of contemporary society, Aboriginal Cultures in Alberta: Five Hundred Generations makes an important contribution toward fostering an understanding of Aboriginal history and culture in Alberta.

Five Hundred Generations

Aboriginal Cultures in Alberta

Winner of the 2009 SAA Public Audience Book Award For millennia, Aboriginal hunters on the North American Plains used their knowledge of the land and of buffalo behaviour to drive their quarry over cliffs. Archaeologist Jack Brink has written a major study of the mass buffalo hunts and the culture they supported before and after European contact. By way of example, he draws on his 25 years excavating at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in southwestern Alberta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Jack Brink

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