(Page 21)
Pioneers and Early History I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but it's a nice change of pace from time to time. Both of the books reviewed today came recommended by friends.
Journey Fantastic. With the Overlanders to the Cariboo - Vicky Metcalf
This account of the journey west by Catherine Schubert and 200 overlanders, from Fort Garry to Kamloops, is a story of perseverance and fortitude. Not only was Catherine the first white woman to make the journey, but she had three children aged 6, 4 and 2, was also pregnant with a fourth child, had to feed and launder for them, her husband and their two French-Canadian farmhands who made the journey with them. The goldfields in the Cariboo was the reason for this trek. May of 1862 was the departure date.
The book is full of vivid descriptions of flora and fauna, musical entertainment around campfires in the evening, warm days and starry nights. Then came the mosquitoes, the blackflies, swamps that seemed impenetrable, miles of deadfall from prairie fires, two hundred foot embankments down to cross treacherous rivers, guides who decamped and warring factions of Natives.
Once the party leaves Fort Edmonton things deteriorate even more. Food is more scarce, ammunition runs out so hunting is not an option, pack animals are dropping, rivers rise from the fall rains and whirl away the carved dugout canoe carrying all the Schubert's tents, cooking pots, tools, bedding and their few clothes.
Starving and gaunt, Catherine is carried into Kamloops on the 13th of October, giving birth to her daughter that same day. With enormous help from the native women - mother's tea, help with the birth, care of the older children, understanding and midwifery, the baby is delivered safely. Remembering the sole mainstay of their diet the last week of the journey - rose hips, Catherine names this first white baby born in the Cariboo, Rose.
The Schuberts discovered that of the thousands of people seeking gold, only a handful had been successful. The only thing they themselves found was a beautiful country.
Catherine lived in different parts of the west until her death in 1918 in Armstrong. There are many stories of this dauntless Irish woman, whose kindness to new settlers, native people, children and women about to give birth, was unlimited. She never forgot the help she received when in need.
Although this is Catherine's story, it must be said that the success of the journey was due in large part to the strong belief the Overlanders had that they would reach the Cariboo. They worked tirelessly, starved, shared, co-operated and never felt sorry for themselves. But the Native and Metis guides, hunters, villagers, women and mid-wives play no small part in this successful journey.
1491 - New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus - Charles C. Mann
Has history mislead us about pre-Columbian Americas? This book argues that different fields of research and more modern dating methods suggest that the indigenous peoples were more numerous and much more sophisticated than previously believed.
Mann attempts to piece together how the Inca Empire fell, that their population numbers far exceeded our previous beliefs and their use of metal was for arts and crafts only. They were not defeated, Mann claims, by steel and horses, but by smallpox and civil war.
The Aztecs were also more advanced than we have been led to believe. The Olmec's culture was extremely advanced as were their methods of agriculture. They bred maize from scratch, as it had 'no wild ancestor.' Some Mesoamerican cultures used calendars and had developed the wheel. They shaped their environment using fire, thus encouraging certain plant and animal life. Their use of zero is widely described as the most pivotal mathematical discovery ever made. It allowed for complex records of long sequences of numbers.
"People (Europeans) accustomed to keeping domesticated animals lacked the conceptual tools to recognize that the Indians were practicing a more distant kind of husbandry." This kind of thinking has basically coloured our view for six centuries.
Mann concludes with the idea that we must look to the past to right the future. "If modern nations want to return as much of the landscape as possible to its state of 1491, they will have to create the world's largest gardens."
Mann makes many very good arguments in this extensively researched book and challenges us to want to know more. I found it fascinating and very readable.
Noah's Choice: The Future of Endangered Species
The Aspirin War; Money, Medicine and 100 Years of Rampant Competition
…..and several others
Who Knew?
Pachacuti founded the Incan Empire, the largest in pre-Columbian America. It is thought that he built Machu Picchu - either as a family home or as a vacation retreat. Located 2430 metres above sea level, it is made of polished dry-stone walls. Evidence suggests this site was selected because of its alignment with key astronomical events important to the Incas.
Pioneers and Early History I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but it's a nice change of pace from time to time. Both of the books reviewed today came recommended by friends.
Journey Fantastic. With the Overlanders to the Cariboo - Vicky Metcalf
This account of the journey west by Catherine Schubert and 200 overlanders, from Fort Garry to Kamloops, is a story of perseverance and fortitude. Not only was Catherine the first white woman to make the journey, but she had three children aged 6, 4 and 2, was also pregnant with a fourth child, had to feed and launder for them, her husband and their two French-Canadian farmhands who made the journey with them. The goldfields in the Cariboo was the reason for this trek. May of 1862 was the departure date.
The book is full of vivid descriptions of flora and fauna, musical entertainment around campfires in the evening, warm days and starry nights. Then came the mosquitoes, the blackflies, swamps that seemed impenetrable, miles of deadfall from prairie fires, two hundred foot embankments down to cross treacherous rivers, guides who decamped and warring factions of Natives.
Once the party leaves Fort Edmonton things deteriorate even more. Food is more scarce, ammunition runs out so hunting is not an option, pack animals are dropping, rivers rise from the fall rains and whirl away the carved dugout canoe carrying all the Schubert's tents, cooking pots, tools, bedding and their few clothes.
Starving and gaunt, Catherine is carried into Kamloops on the 13th of October, giving birth to her daughter that same day. With enormous help from the native women - mother's tea, help with the birth, care of the older children, understanding and midwifery, the baby is delivered safely. Remembering the sole mainstay of their diet the last week of the journey - rose hips, Catherine names this first white baby born in the Cariboo, Rose.
The Schuberts discovered that of the thousands of people seeking gold, only a handful had been successful. The only thing they themselves found was a beautiful country.
Catherine lived in different parts of the west until her death in 1918 in Armstrong. There are many stories of this dauntless Irish woman, whose kindness to new settlers, native people, children and women about to give birth, was unlimited. She never forgot the help she received when in need.
Although this is Catherine's story, it must be said that the success of the journey was due in large part to the strong belief the Overlanders had that they would reach the Cariboo. They worked tirelessly, starved, shared, co-operated and never felt sorry for themselves. But the Native and Metis guides, hunters, villagers, women and mid-wives play no small part in this successful journey.
1491 - New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus - Charles C. Mann
Has history mislead us about pre-Columbian Americas? This book argues that different fields of research and more modern dating methods suggest that the indigenous peoples were more numerous and much more sophisticated than previously believed.
Mann attempts to piece together how the Inca Empire fell, that their population numbers far exceeded our previous beliefs and their use of metal was for arts and crafts only. They were not defeated, Mann claims, by steel and horses, but by smallpox and civil war.
The Aztecs were also more advanced than we have been led to believe. The Olmec's culture was extremely advanced as were their methods of agriculture. They bred maize from scratch, as it had 'no wild ancestor.' Some Mesoamerican cultures used calendars and had developed the wheel. They shaped their environment using fire, thus encouraging certain plant and animal life. Their use of zero is widely described as the most pivotal mathematical discovery ever made. It allowed for complex records of long sequences of numbers.
"People (Europeans) accustomed to keeping domesticated animals lacked the conceptual tools to recognize that the Indians were practicing a more distant kind of husbandry." This kind of thinking has basically coloured our view for six centuries.
Mann concludes with the idea that we must look to the past to right the future. "If modern nations want to return as much of the landscape as possible to its state of 1491, they will have to create the world's largest gardens."
Mann makes many very good arguments in this extensively researched book and challenges us to want to know more. I found it fascinating and very readable.
Noah's Choice: The Future of Endangered Species
The Aspirin War; Money, Medicine and 100 Years of Rampant Competition
…..and several others
Who Knew?
Pachacuti founded the Incan Empire, the largest in pre-Columbian America. It is thought that he built Machu Picchu - either as a family home or as a vacation retreat. Located 2430 metres above sea level, it is made of polished dry-stone walls. Evidence suggests this site was selected because of its alignment with key astronomical events important to the Incas.
No comments:
Post a Comment