Introduction
Archaeology has always been used as a tool to study the past and relate it to the present and the future. The concepts of archaeology have been used to study ancient civilizations and cultures of communities from all over the world. For instance, archaeologists have conducted many studies in Northern America.
In Canada, most of these studies have focused on the native Indian tribes that are found within the nation. The Mi’kmaw tribe is one of the most researched native communities in Canada. Archaeologists have laid a lot of emphasis on the traditions of the community and the impacts that they have on the social, political and economic aspects of the community.
In his book, ‘First Nations, Identity and Reserve Life,’ Simione Polandri takes a different approach in conducting his research. Previous studies on the Mi’kmaw community only focused on the traditions and culture of the tribe resulting in the monotony and redundancy of this topic. In his book however, Simione takes a different approach.
Like the other researchers, he focused on the traditions of the community. However, Simione goes further in his book and talks about the community, spirituality and Catholicism. He discusses the impacts that these factors have on developing the identity of the Mi’kmaw people in Nova Scotia. The main theme of the book therefore is identity construction, interaction and dynamics.
Critical Review
The main purpose of research is to bring about a new understanding of a given phenomenon. This is usually achieved when researches interpret their findings and come up with concrete information and theories that explain or support a given phenomenon.
On these grounds therefore, it is essential to point out that a lot of research has been carried out on native tribes all around the globe. These studies have focused on almost every aspect of their subject communities. However, tradition is the main topic of study that most archaeologists focus on. Due to this trend, there has been a lot of redundancy on the traditional matters of a given community.
Simione’s book took a relatively different direction. First, the book brings about an insight to the lives of the Mi’kmaw people in their reserves. The book, Simione focuses on two reserves; The Millbrook and the Indian Brook reserves. According to the author, the Indian Brook reserve is relatively further away from the town.
This makes it hard for the inhabitants of this reserve to access amenities such as proper housing and accommodation, health services, clean water and so on. The fact that this reserve is further away from the town brings about the effect of isolation. This factor has highly encouraged the emergence and growth of social troubles within the reserve.
However, the natives seem to have adapted to this way of life and are comfortable with it. The situation at Millbrook however is quite different. The reserve is relatively smaller and is highly equipped with modern amenities and facilities.
As the author asserted, the only way one could know that Millbrook is a reserve is by the signpost that is its entrance. The difference between these two reserves is essential. First, it shows the difference that always exists between two different communities although they share the same culture and traditions.
Simione also focused on the aspect of internal boundaries. These boundaries separate the inhabitants of Millbrook from those of Indian Brook. Internal boundaries are critical in the marking of external territories as they determine the extent to which a given community will spread and the control that it will have. This is critical especially in determining the social and political aspects of native communities of a given area.
Thus, residents of Millbrook and Indian Brook refer to the boundaries within these two regions as inside and anything else that is not within the proximity of this boundary is referred to as outside. According to Simione, this reference is essential as it shows the strong bond that the natives hold towards their fellow tribesmen and anything else within the reserve.
However, not the same relationship held towards non-natives and anything outside the reserves although the natives might have different views and ideologies on various issues and internal factors that affect them. This is common in almost every society in the world and plays a critical role in the manner in which the traditions, social interactions and politics of a given community are based upon.
In the book, the author also managed to explain the traditions of the Mi’kmaw people. Simione clearly explains that the Mi’kmaw people regard tradition as their main form of identity. It is through their traditions that they identify themselves as either Indians or Mi’kmaws.
These traditional practices also differentiate them from non-natives. This argument is in line with almost all of the studies that have been conducted with regards to traditions. Tradition is what defines a community, its language, the manner in which its members interact and its socio-political stratification. Besides this, traditions play a critical role in determining the spirituality of the Mi’kmaw people.
In the book, Simione displays the affiliations that the Mi’kmaw ceremonies and beliefs have with ancient Indian traditions. The manner in which the natives follow these traditions is what actually defines whether an individual is an Indian or a Mi’kmaw. Internal differences are common in most communities. For instance, Islamist communities are bound together by their religion, Islam.
However, within Islam, many sub-sects are present. These sub-sects have different beliefs and ideologies. Thus, Simione explains how the different natives of Millbrook and Indian Brook differentiate themselves in terms of spirituality hence affecting their identities.
Finally, Simione managed critically analyze the relationship that the Mi’kmaw have with Catholicism. The interaction of Nova Scotia with the Roman Catholic Church dates back during the 17th century at a time when one of the greatest leaders in the history of Mi’kmaw, Membertou, converted into Christianity. This interaction later grew during the era of French colonization.
Just like in many communities where the missionaries demanded that natives should convert into their religions so that they could have access to basic amenities such as healthcare services and education, the situation in Nova Scotia as reported by Simione was not any different.
However, the religion has been modified over time. This section of the book presents the role played by modern religion and the impacts it has on the native religious practices and the manner in which if affects the dynamism of the community.
Conclusion
The author of this book manages to expound on the identity and the lives of the Mi’kmaw people in Nova Scotia. The book is well organized and shows the interaction between the communal practices, the traditions, spirituality and Catholicism in developing the identity of the natives and the impact this has on the interaction and the dynamism of the community.
The book therefore shines light on different aspects of the Mi’kmaw people that have not been explored before in research. Its content is thus informative and credible as it explicitly showcases the lives of the Mi’kmaw people.