Clearing The Plains : Disease, Politics Of Starvation, And Loss Of Aboriginal Life

A historical study examining the intertwined roles of epidemic disease, environmental change, and government policy in shaping the experiences of First Nations in western Canada. Drawing on a broad range of archival, medical, and ecological sources, Daschuk traces Indigenous health and food systems prior to European contact; the arrival and spread of new pathogens; the transformation of the fur-trade economy; and the resulting pressures on traditional subsistence. Subsequent chapters investigate the treaty-making era, federal food-distribution practices, and state interventions during the late nineteenth century, particularly in the years surrounding the development of the Canadian Pacific Railway and the aftermath of the 1885 Resistance.