Much of the ground on which Canada’s largest metropolitan centre now stands was purchased by the British from the Mississauga Indians for a payment that in the end amounted to ten shillings. Sacred Feathers (1802–1856), or Peter Jones, as he became known in English, grew up hearing countless stories of the treachery in those negotiations, early lessons in the need for Indian vigilance in preserving their land and their rights. Donald B. Smith’s biography of this remarkable Ojibwa leader shows how well those early lessons were learned and how Jones used them to advance the welfare of his people.

A groundbreaking book, Sacred Feathers was one of the first biographies of a Canadian Aboriginal to be based on his own writings – drawing on Jones’s letters, diaries, sermons, and his history of the Ojibwas – and the first modern account of the Mississauga Indians. As summarized by M.T. Kelly in Saturday Night when the book was first published in 1988, “This biography achieves something remarkable. Peter Jones emerges from its pages alive. We don’t merely understand him by the book’s end: we know him.”

Donald Burnet Smith is the author of ten previous volumes of poetry. His most recent book is The Killed (Wolsak & Wynn). He has been nominated for the Governor General's Award and has won numerous prizes for his writing, including The Malahat Review's Long Poem Prize. Currently he divides his time between Paris, France, and Antigonish, Nova Scotia, where he teaches at St. Francis Xavier University.

Donald B. Smith's profile page

‘Donald B. Smith must be commended for his thorough research, his sensitivity and understanding of his subject, and his very fine presentation of the life and work of this important Indian leader.’

Journal of American History

‘Donald Smith’s comprehensive and interesting biography … is essential reading for those wishing to keep in touch with contemporary developments, for on almost every page it sends echoes down into our own times.’

Canada's History

‘The lasting impression of this readable, important volume is one of a stalwart and high-minded individual who worked against insuperable odds.’

Western Historical Quarterly

‘Sacred Feathers should be on the reading list of anyone interested in nineteenth-century Canadian history, the Ojibwa and their history, or the history of Methodist missions in North America. It is an insightful and well-documented study of a man, his people, and a time of change.’

Ethnohistory

‘Outstanding …pany for Tecumseh and Joseph Brant.’

Toronto Star