Life and contributions of Howard Adams celebrated

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The Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research (GDI) is publishing a new book that examines the life and contributions of the late Howard Adams.

Howard Adams: OTAPAWY! The Life of a Metis Leader in His Own Words combines Adams' own writings with the writings of others who comment on Adams and the impact he has had on the Metis community.

Adams, who passed away in 2001, was a highly respected Metis leader, academic, educator, writer and activist. His published works include The education of Canadians, 1800-1867; the roots of separatism, Prison of grass: Canada from the Native point of view and A tortured people: the politics of colonization.

Adams was born and raised in St. Louis, Sask. He earned a bachelor of arts in sociology from the University of British Columbia and a PhD in history from the University of California at Berkeley. He spent over a decade teaching at the University of Saskatchewan and was a professor emeritus at the University of California at Davis and a member of the adjunct faculty of the University of Alberta's graduate program in First Nations Education.

According to Darren Prefontaine, curriculum developer with GDI's publishing department, a lot of people throughout society, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, have an interest in Adams and what he had to say. He described Adams as one of those figures from the 1960s that really touched a raw nerve in Canadian society.

"He has a very important place in our collective history," said Prefontaine. "Canadians for generations quietly swept aside the racism that was forced upon Aboriginal peoples and Adams broke that up and brought Aboriginal issues to the forefront. He provided all sorts of theory related to the colonization of Aboriginal peoples."

GDI has been around since the early '80s but they didn't start to produce resources until 1985. Since then, they have produced more than 80 books, videos and CD-ROMs.

"We are really a cultural resource producer that relates to Metis history and culture," said Prefontaine."Our mission is to produce and promote education programs as well as produce resources that both Metis and non-Metis can use. Our ultimate goal is to train Metis people towards becoming self-sustaining and to work with a larger community to promote Metis values and culture."

Prefontaine said Adams had been working on an autobiography and a fictional account of his life that were never completed. Hartmut Lutz, Donna Heimbecker and Murray Hamilton, who worked as editors on the project, got together with Adams' widow, Margaret, and compiled the book, using his partial manuscripts as their starting point. They asked various other academics and community members who knew Adams to contribute articles about him and his impact on Metis identity.

Murray Hamilton, program coordinator for GDI's Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program at the University of Saskatchewan, is one of those contributors. He said he wanted to take part in the project because Adams made Metis people feel proud of who they are.

"He made us think critically about what was the relationship between Metis and broader society and that's probably the biggest reason why I involved myself in this book," said Hamilton.

Hamilton has spent most of his life advocating on behalf of the Metis people, particularly in the area of education. He said he first saw Adams speak about Metis issues in the winter of 1973. He got to know Adams on a personal level in 1988 and learned many things from him. The most important thing Adams taught him, he said, is that Metis people need to develop a strong political consciousness.

"You have to develop a political and cultural consciousness," said Hamilton. "They (students) are not going to go anywhere unless they have a strong feeling of pride and pride in their history. Adams wanted Metis people to be proud of their heritage."

Howard Adams: OTAPAWY! The Life of a Metis Leader in His Own Words will be launchd twice-on Nov. 15 at the McNally Robinson in Saskatoon and again on Nov. 17 at the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company's Black Box Theatre, also in Saskatoon.

The book, which will sell for $29.95, will be available through bookstores or through the GDI.

The editors have chosen to donate the royalty payments they would have received for their work on the book to the Marge and Howard Adams Scholarship Fund, which will provide financial support to Metis students at the University of Saskatchewan.