Aboriginal Peoples
Northern natives write based on what is important to them and what affects their livelihoods. There exists a need to understand native literature as much of it was written from the perspective of the white explorers and immigrants because the Natives’ traditional tales were passed down through oral translations as opposed to written text Pauline Johnson-Tekahionwake took the opportunity to share her people’s legends of Canada by putting them in text form. The Legends of Vancouver are tales that depict explanations for distinct geographical features in Vancouver such as the famous landmark the Lions Mountains. Which is explained by the legend of the ‘Two Sisters.’ http://www.robirda.com/legends/
The Gold Rush
The history of British Columbia is enriched in the ideals of the Gold Rush that took place during the 19th century. In a time when the federal government was trying to drive people out West to farm the lands, the BC gold rush sent mo re added incentive to those looking to get rich quick. To many that came, searching for gold went on to make or break their fortunes. Those who did strike rich went on to start their own businesses and help build BC economy. Because of its historical significance, the BC Gold rush is held in high regards as an important aspect to the provinces national identity. Several novels have been written which depict both the growth of the province as well as the travels that many immigrants and pioneers had to make to finally find settlement in BC.
Barkerville by Richard Thomas Wright
Tells the stories of the men and women who dug for gold in and around Williams Creek and resided in a small town known as Bakerville, a city that still resides in present day British Columbia. Author Richard Thomas Wright has unearthed much of the area's history in this book, which chronicles the time, the fortunes and the follies of gold-rush Barkerville. This book brings to life the men and women of the creeks, who came in search of gold and left their mark on BC history. The Journey by Bill Gallagher Follows the tale of three individuals: Catherine Schubert,; James Sellar and Thomas McMicking who have made their way from Manitoba and have headed westward for BC. The book describes the trio as “overlanders” as they struggle against the treacherous terrain to find camp in British Columbia search of the gold mines gold.
Novelist Jack London became famous for his novel Call of the Wild, based on his time in the Yukon during the Klondike Gold rush. This novel, using a dog (Buck) as a protagonist, follows him as he learns to survive life in the North as a sled dog, amidst the harsh conditions. http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/gold/literature.html
The famous poem by Robert Service The Cremation of Sam McGee, focuses on the thrill and adventure associated with the exploration of Canada’s North along with his other works such as The Shooting of Dan McGrew.
The Cremation of Sam McGee
There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold; The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold; The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, But the queerest they ever did see Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge I cremated Sam McGee.http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/gold/literature.html
The Rugged North
Similarly, historical Canadian tales often centre on the classic juxtaposition of humans in relation to and against the natural world. Canada is rugged and harsh and provides great tales of struggle, failure and success.
A classic tale of man against Canada’s harsh, rugged North country is based on the British explorer Sir John Franklin, who led an expedition through the north attempting to find the infamous North West Passage. Deadly Winter: The Life of Sir John Franklin by Martyn Beardsley captures his failed attempt to navigate the unforgivable Northern Canadian region. http://www.gregorbooks.com/cgi-bin/gregor/16610.html
British Columbia and Wildlife
British Columbia is one of the very few provinces that is renowned for its cultural wildlife. As the province houses many territorial species, BC has taken pride in its non-human residents by preserving many areas of the natural environment. Through several works of literature, certain local authors have decided to analyze how the local wildlife goes on to effect the region, giving off a sense of how the local residents should respect all forms of species that live within the province.
Beyond the Whales by Alexandra Morton
Takes an in-depth look at the coastal ecosystem and its effects it has on the cultural region. The book studies whales, bears, salmon, eagles, and deer, and attempts to explain how all species of British Columbia are interconnected in a study that the author had been carrying out for the last twenty years. In the novel, the author states: “One of the joys of watching a place for 20 years is being able to read the signs upon the sea — bubbles on the surface mean tons of herring below; three birds over an orca mean the whale has brought fish to the surface; shearwaters in Blackfish Sound mean autumn is here. The ocean feeds the rivers and the rivers feed the ocean”. This novel is accompanied by many pictures as it attempts to explain how the wildlife has historically shaped the BC region.
Ned: The Story of Bear Six Nine Three by Joe Pavelka
A children’s novel that takes a look into the how humans and wildlife have been able to co-exist since Europeans settled in the BC region. Ned is a black bear who grows all the more curious as new housing developments begin to appear just outside of his forest. Despite Ned’s mothers’ advances to stay away, Ned is drawn to his new neighbors and begins to befriend the local youth. The idea of this novel is to teach youth the idea of how the natural world co-exists with their own, and how they should take pride in the animals that reside within the region.
Children’s Literature
Kit Pearson is an award winning author of children’s literature. Her novels and short stories are set in the varying regions of Canada and encompass different time periods, characters and situations. Spending a great deal of her life in British Columbia, where she now resides, Pearson portrays differing views of life in B.C.
In The Daring Game, Pearson intertwines her own experiences at an all-girls boarding school in Vancouver in the tale she tells about a young girl, Eliza, and the world she experiences at Ashdown Academy in Vancouver.
http://www.kitpearson.com/daringgame.htmlInspired while taking a trip on the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria, Awake and Dreaming is a story about a little girl, Theo, who, poverty-stricken and unwanted, imagines a new life for herself with a family in Victoria. Parts of the story take place in the Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria, and Pearson gives tours here annually.
http://www.kitpearson.com/awakeanddreaming.html
Pearson was also chosen to be the editor of a collection of short stories titled This Land: A Cross-Country Anthology of Canadian Fiction for Young Readers. According to Pearson: “each emphasizes a sense of place, from British Columbia to the Maritimes to the North. The selections include a variety of age groups, a balance of male and female protagonists, and different time periods, genres and cultures.” Pearson mentions that, for her, “place” is a big part of literature and that, unlike when she was a child, a lot children’s literature now portrays regional Canada. http://www.kitpearson.com/thisland.html
Multicultural British Columbia
Can you Hear the Nightbird Call by Anita Rau Badami is a novel that moves between India and Canada. It focuses on the effects of the partitioning of India that created a separate Pakistan and divided Punjab. The way Canada’s desi community is affected by problems in India, mainly the Hindu-Sikh tensions is explored through the character a boy named Jasbeer who has a hard time adjusting to life in Vancouver.See http://www.bookclubs.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780676976052 to learn more about the plot.
In Obasan, Joy Kogawa writes about the experiences of Japanese-Canadians regarding the unfair treatment they received surrounding the second World War period. Through the narration of Naomi, who was a young girl at the time of the war, we look at the issues Japanese-Canadians face in Canada, especially that of being called the enemy of a country they were born into. http://www.amazon.ca/Obasan-Joy-Kogawa/dp/0143014994azon.ca/Obasan-Joy-Kogawa/dp/0143014994
Synopsis of Disappearing Moon Café, by Sky Lee discusses the importance of the novel and the ethnic trails faced by the Chinese immigrants into British Columbia. http://biography.jrank.org/pages/4526/Lee-Sky.html
