DRS Friesen

Native people in Western Canada today face a myriad of complex questions in virtually every sphere of functioning–legal, economic, educational, and spiritual to name a few. This book explores the different aspects of some of the pertinent issues affecting the Native Community, with a view to clarifying the underlying challenges. A treatise to the strong hope for the future that exists within the Native community, The Cultural Maze constitutes a realistic perspective on Native Issues and puts its finger on the very pulse of the challenges affecting Native Destiny. Written from the standpoint of experience and expertise, particularly in the case of Native writers, each chapter allows for an in depth understanding of the real issues affecting the future of Native culture. In three main sections, this volume provides a historical background to understanding some of the challenges with which the Indigenous community is currently grappling; outlines six contemporary issues facing the Native community, namely economic development, land claims, Aboriginal rights, language, educational policy, and local control of education; and explores the direction of Native cultural survival through a discussion of the role of Elders, higher education, and Canadian multiculturalism.