A fascinating picture of the industrious life of the Ojibwa before the coming of the white man. The Indians lived in an intimate relationship with the forest and the spiritual forces they found in nature. They were completely dependent on wild game, trees, and plants for their food, their clothing, and their dwellings, and they realized that it was in their best interest to protect these things, to ensure their livelihood year after year and for the generations to come.

The author traces the outlines of this Indian civilization—the Ojibwa's social organization, family life, the quest for food, their handicrafts, and the world of the supernatural with which they lived in such intimacy. The result is an authoritative and entertaining account. The book contains 8 photographs, 25 line drawings and two-colour end-paper map.

Emerson S. Coatsworth was a Toronto journalist.

Emerson Coatsworth's profile page

Robert C. Dailey was an anthropologist at the University of Toronto.

Robert Dailey's profile page

The writing by Coatsworth, is succinct and entertaining, and the facts, assembled by Robert C. Dailey, a Toronto University anthropologist, are sound . . . A clear and sympathetic presentation of a vanished facet of Canadian aboriginal life, and as such can be recommended to any reader interested in Indians, whether or not they are ever likely to visit the park.

<em>The Beaver</em>