The Dane-zaa people have lived in BC’s Peace River area for thousands of years. Elders documented the people’s history and worldview in oral narratives and passed them on through storytelling. Language loss, however, threatens to break the bonds of knowledge transmission.

At the request of the Doig River First Nation, anthropologists Robin and Jillian Ridington present a history of the Dane-zaa people based on oral histories collected over a half century of fieldwork. These powerful stories span the full length of history, from the story of creation to the fur trade, from the arrival of missionaries to modern land claim cases. Elders document key events as they explain the very nature of the universe.

The Dane-zaa were one of the last nations to experience the effects of colonialism. Where Happiness Dwells not only preserves their traditional knowledge for future generations, it also tells the inspiring story of how they learned to succeed in the modern world.

Robin Ridington is a professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of Little Bit Know Something, Trail to Heaven: Knowledge and Narrative in a Northern Native Community, and Blessing for a Long Time among other works.

Robin Ridington's profile page

Jillian Ridington's profile page

in collaboration with elders of the Dane-zaa First Nations' profile page

• Commended, Aboriginal History Prize, Canadian Historical Association
• Winner, K.D. Srivastava Prize, UBC Press