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The story of the expansion of European civilization into the wilderness continues to shape perceptions of how Aboriginal people became part of nations such as Canada. This groundbreaking study subverts this narrative of progress and modernity by examining nation building from the perspective of a northern community and its residents.

Drawing on decades of research, Patricia McCormack argues that Fort Chipewyan was never an isolated Aboriginal community but a plural society at the crossroads of global, national, and local forces. The steps that led Aboriginal people to sign Treaty No. 8 and accept scrip in 1899 and their struggle to maintain autonomy thereafter reveal that Aboriginal peoples and others can become modern without relinquishing cherished beliefs and practices.

This study of the most famous of the Treaty No. 8 communities not only provides a window into the history of Canada and Alberta - it challenges the nature of history writing in Canada itself.