Portraits From The Plains

Grant MacEwan (1902-2000) was an agriculturalist at the Universities of Saskatchewan and Manitoba before turning to federal politics and being appointed Lieutenant Governor of Alberta in the 1960s. As an author, MacEwan is best remembered for his works on western Canadian history. In this volume, he writes brief biographies of 32 First Nations men (and one nameless female “Lady Warrior”) whose lives held cultural, historical, or political importance in western Canada. Subjects range from well-known historical figures (such as Poundmaker and Big Bear) to contemporary artists and activists (such as Allan Sapp and James Gladstone). Note signature of Edmonton Police officer Samuel Donaghey (Order of Canada, 1981) on p.233 in the section dedicated to Edmonton’s first Indigenous police officer Alex Decoteau.