Charcoal’s World
Charcoal’s World by Hugh Aylmer Dempsey, published by U of Nebraska Press in 1979, presents a detailed exploration of the life of Charcoal, a member of the Blood Indians in southwestern Alberta. This edition spans 178 pages and is written in English. The narrative delves into Charcoal’s experiences as he navigates a world shaped by both his people’s traditions and the encroachment of white settlers, highlighting the complexities of his existence amid cultural clashes.
Readers will find an in-depth account of Charcoal’s life, including his infamous actions in 1896 that led to a pursuit by Major Samuel Benfield Steele of the North West Mounted Police. The book contrasts the perspectives of the Blood Indians with official reports, revealing differing interpretations of Charcoal’s motivations and the events surrounding his downfall. Dempsey’s extensive research, which includes government records and interviews with elders from the Blood Reserve, enriches this narrative, providing a nuanced view of history and the ongoing impact of these encounters.
Official synopsis Publisher
Charcoal’s World was bounded by the mountains, hills, and plains of southwestern Alberta. That was the homeland of his people, the Blood Indians, but Charcoal was not free to enjoy it as his ancestors had. For millennia, they had lived each day in the company of spirits, and even with the coming of the white man that much didønot change.
Major Samuel Benfield Steele of the North West Mounted Police did not know about the Indian spirit world and would not have cared to learn. In 1896 when Charcoal killed a man and made attempts on others, Steele saw him as a common murderer and vowed to chase him down.
The tale of Charcoal is well known among the Indians of southern Alberta. Their stories of his exploits agree in many ways with the official reports of the North West Mounted Police, but the two sources conflict in the reasons for the success of Charcoal and his eventual downfall. Hugh A. Dempsey has spent twenty-five years researching the material on Charcoal; he has studied the government records and spoken with the elders and historians of the Blood Reserve. The result is Charcoal’s World, giving us the Indian side of this remarkable story of Indian-white confrontation.
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