Summary of the article in the book
Mary Fraser begins by exploring Nova Scotia and its aboriginal inhabitants. From the article in the book, it is evident that the Miemac Indians were the aboriginal group that dominated Nova Scotia from very early times. The confederation of eastern Algonquins was the original homeland of this group of people.
They were also considered to be in the third place especially when it came to the ownership of land as a resource. They were given the name Souriquois by some of the earliest missionaries who visited their original land. Before the close of 1693, they were being refereed to as the Miemac. When the land was originally distributed to these Indian ethnic groups, they were given the Algonquin name known as the Migmagig.
This piece of land was made up of southwestern New-Foundland, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island, and Nova Scotia. From the article, it appears that they were largely a peaceful community according to the sentiments of Father Biard. Their main source of income was fishing and hunting. They could also participate gathering of wild fruits, insects and herbs.
The sun was a major point of veneration among the Micmacs according to the historical records obtained from Leclercq. In other words, they worshipped the sun bearing in mind that they saluted the sun both in the morning and evening. Mentou was also part of the great spirits that was worshipped by this group of people. Although they clearly knew that Mentou was a rebellious spirit that had gone against the rules of the Great Spirit, they continued to worship him.
Strengths of the article
From the summary of the article, it can be noticed that the author has attempted to explore the background roots of this Indian sub tribe. Fraser does not merely give an outline of the background information of the Micmacs. Instead, the author creates a detailed background of this aboriginal group beginning from the time when their history was first recorded. For instance, Fraser discusses their economic, social, political and cultural ways of life.
Second, Fraser has organized this piece of writing in the most chronological manner. The text can be read and understood quite easily by the reader. The structure of the language used is also friendly enough to the readers in this level. As a matter of fact, this is a mid 17th century history that targets tertiary or college level learners. Therefore, the language used in most suitable for this category of learners.
The author also attempts to give cause and effect of each action taken by this Indian sub tribe. This is similar to expounding the reasons why certain events take place in the piece of literature. This writing technique assists the reader to follow the plot of the historical record of the Indian sub tribe being studied.
Fraser approaches the aspect of civilization of this Indian sub tribe from a very objective point of view. This is apparently one of the strengths of the article. For example, Fraser explains how the Micmac ethnic group was at one time deeply entrenched in worshipping traditional gods and goddesses and how they eventually accepted to turn away from their deeply held traditions.
The author does not give guidance on how the reader should go about the reasoning process after reading this part of the book. This creates room for personal evaluation and promotion of critical thinking skills.
Weaknesses
Fraser has apparently failed to balance the three aspects of Micmac’s development and early civilization in Nova Scotia. The author has largely concentrated on the social wellbeing of this Indian sub tribe. A lot of emphasis has been put towards the social civilization of this group of people. This has impeded the development of political, economic and political history of the Indian sub tribe.
The author has also concentrated so much on the discussion of individual missionaries and the vast amount of work they did in converting the aboriginal tribe into Christianity.
In addition, although the author has pointed out that religion was a key pillar in the cultural and social well being of the Micmac people, she has not described the various roles that were played by the same religion. Whereas we may make an assumption that readers are aware of the roles played by religion in this community, the outcomes may be completely wrong.
The political way of life among the Micmac people has not been discussed at length by the author. Although a slight mention of governance has been pointed out in the text, it is not adequate at all. It is imperative to assert that one of the factors that made the Micmac people to be remembered was their strong systems of governance and leadership structures. Perhaps, the author could have given additional attention to the political way of life of this Indian sub-tribe.
The Glooscap myth of the Indians can also be used to explore the fancies, ideals and thoughts of the Indians. Although this myth was dominant during the pre-christian times, it is also interesting to observe that it has remained fundamental in the modern world. Therefore, Fraser could have discussed the transformation phase of the Glooscap myth as well as its relevance in the contemporary Indian society.
In recap, it is vital top reiterate that the author of this book was particular objective when presenting the historical plot of the Micmac people from the Indian aboriginals. This implies that the author avoided any possibility of bias when presenting the historical evidence of the Indian sub tribe. Therefore, the audience has been left with full choice of judging the events in the book.
As already mentioned, the article is an interesting piece to read regarding the primitive civilization of the Micmac aboriginal tribe from India. Fraser has clearly documented all the facts regarding the funny lifestyle of this group of people. This presentation technique makes the audience to remain attentive and interested to read the entire piece of writing.
Weaknesses of the article have also been discussed in this piece of critique writing. For example, the political way of life among the Micmac sub tribe was not sufficiently discussed even though the historical documentation was presented in a systematic manner. In addition, only a limited number of social myths have been explored in the article.
Since the Indian sub-tribe was a community entrenched in deep cultural practices, the author could have given more attention to the socio-cultural aspects of the Micmac people. Finally, this section of the book should have covered additional details on the political way of life of the Micmac people.