Where Happiness Dwells

"From the indigenous perspective, a writer is accountable first and foremost to the people he or she writes about. The writing must proceed in the form of stories, in the voice of speakers addressing people they know. This book is one of great respect and insight that will be appreciated by scholars and enjoyed by all its readers." - Jean-Guy Goulet, Faculty of Human Sciences, Saint Paul University "This book offers a highly original yet rigorous view of Dane-zaa culture and history. It will be an important book for all scholars of First Nations ... and for First Nations seeking a model to write their own histories." - Guy Lanoue, Department of Anthropology, Universite de Montreal

Robin Ridington is a professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of British Columbia and has worked with the Dane-zaa First Nations since the 1960s. Jillian Ridington is an ethnographer and researcher who has worked with the Dane-zaa First Nations since 1978. Their books about the Dane-zaa include Robin's Trail To Heaven: Knowledge and Narrative in a Northern Native Community, and a co-authored book, When You Sing It Now, Just Like New: First Nations Poetics, Voices and Representations.

Preface, with Linguistic Note and Pronunciation Guide Introduction: Trails of Time 1 The Dane-zaa Creation Story 2 Tsyaa, the Culture Hero 3 Shin kaa, the Vision Quest 4 Archaeology, Prehistory, and Oral History 5 The Early Fur Trade 6 The Later Fur Trade and the Hudsons Bay Company Killings 7 Priests and Dreamers 8 The First and Last Dreamers 9 Kinship and Community 10 The 1899 North West Mounted Police Census and Treaty 8 11 Seasonal Rounds in British Columbia and Alberta 12 The 1918 Flu Epidemic 13 Losing Suu Na chii kchige, the Great Fire, and Petersens Crossing 14 The Place Where Happiness Dwells, Indian Reserve 172 15 Today and Tomorrow 16 Dane-zaa Stories and the Anthropological Literature Appendices Works Cited Acknowledgments Index