Chee Chee
A Study of Aboriginal Suicide
- Publisher
- McGill-Queen's University Press
- Initial publish date
- Apr 2004
- Category
- Suicide, Cultural
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780773537590
- Publish Date
- Jul 2010
- List Price
- $22.95
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780773526877
- Publish Date
- Apr 2004
- List Price
- $29.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9780773571785
- Publish Date
- Apr 2004
- List Price
- $34.95
Add it to your shelf
Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 17
- Grade: 12
Description
Benjamin Chee Chee lived with anger and frustration for more than thirty years before he took his own life. An Ojibway artist who killed himself just as he was beginning to gain international recognition, Chee Chee is one of the thousands of aboriginal peoples in Canada who have commited suicide. Noted suicidologist and former RCMP officer Al Evans explores Chee Chee's wild, reckless, creative life to reveal how the clash between Native and White society has affected the suicide rate of young Native men and women, now among the highest in the world. Using his in-depth understanding of Native self-destructive behaviour and information from interviews with Chee Chee's mother, close friends, and fellow artists, Evans shows that understanding Benjamin's suicide requires moving beyond psychological analysis to include the damage that contact with White society has caused Native culture, heritage, status, and meaning of life. Evans argues that White society needs to understand these dynamics to be involved in the healing process of Aboriginal peoples in Canada - or to at least avoid hindering their recovery.
About the author
Alvin Evans is professor emeritus at St Paul's United College, University of Waterloo.
Librarian Reviews
Chee Chee: A Study of Aboriginal Suicide
Evans, noted suicidologist, investigates self-destructive behaviours of Canada’s Aboriginal youth. Exploring how the friction between native and white society has caused young Canadian Aboriginals to have the highest global suicide rates, the book revolves around the tragic life of Benjamin Chee Chee, a gifted Ojibway artist who committed suicide at age 33. Evans parallels Chee Chee’s struggle with the widespread feelings of despair and addictive tendencies facing many young Aboriginals. Evans postulates that as many Aboriginal peoples experience life on the fringes of society, they feel victimized. He has worked in Aboriginal communities for 25 years.Evans is a professor emeritus at the University of Waterloo.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. Canadian Aboriginal Books for Schools. 2010-2011.
