The Red Indians is a theoretically nuanced, frank, and accessible book about Aboriginal resistance in Canada, historical and contemporary. In the manner of Eduardo Galeano’s famous trilogy Memories of Fire, the book uncovers a critical, living history of conflict. The Red Indians, with its polyvalent title that points to the many issues covered in the text, introduces readers to the history of colonial oppression in Canada and looks at contemporary examples of resistance. Kulchyski clarifies the unique and specific politics of Aboriginal resistance in Canada.
The Red Indians
An Episodic, Informal Collection of Tales from the History of Aboriginal People's Struggles in Canada
As a visual medium brought closer to an auditory experience, the stories told in The Red Indians are persuasive because they unapologetically rest on Kulchyski’s authority. Kulchyski’s episodes balance brevity with constructive detail and, taken together, cover a great deal of history and territory. By detailing the points of continuity that link these stories from early “contact” to the present day, Kulchyski advances his central argument that the First Nations peoples are foundational to the Canadian state. — Madelaine Jacobs, Canadian Literature