Charcoal's World

Black Wood Ashes, who was called Charcoal by the whites, caused one of the most famous manhunts in Canadian history. It began when his wife, Pretty Wolverine Woman, disgraced him and compromised her status as a holy person, by having an incestuous affair. He killed her lover. As a result, Charcoal believed that, according to white man's law, this would result in his being hanged. So he decided that he would die in the traditional manner for a warrior who knew that he was going to die, by "sacrificing" himself, that is, by seeking out battle so that he can die a warriors death. I have to say that this was a fascinating read. It is an unflattering expose of the manner in which Canada went about conquering its part of the prairies, how the various Indian bands were herded into reservations, where they lived on a starvation diet and were expected to adopt the European concepts of law and "civilization".

In this slim volume Hugh Dempsey, a man who knows the Blackfoot intimately, guides the reader into the subtle world of a First Nations man. Charcoal lived in a society forced to undergo overwhelming -- and often disastrous -- changes. In this crucible Charcoal kills a man who was having an affair with his wife. The murder, Charcoal's flight from the authorities, his eventual capture and execution have previously been described only from the perspective of the NW Mounted Police who arrested him: an account which portrayed him as a murderous, renegade Indian. Dempsey takes us beyond the assumptions of white society, to see this story in the context of "Charcoal's World", his cultural viewpoint and standards. A very different story appears, one of an intelligent, proud man trapped between two very different worlds. A man who, unable to solve an ethical dilemma in a manner acceptable to white society, to action in the only way he truly understood. Hugh Dempsey's knowledge and insight allow us to share that understanding.

Charcoal's World gives us a glimpse into the differing paradigms of First Nations people of North America and those of the Newcomers societies. It shows how the Newcomers values imposed on the First Nations people can lead to injustice. Charcoal's killing of his wife's lover may be a crime by western and modern standards but for the people of his time it was a way of "saving face," and upholding the laws that governed his people. To put it into perspective, the Ookaan ceremony that is sponsored by a woman indicates the importance of the fidelity required of a woman by the Blackfoot peoples. It is only a virtuous that can vow to build the Sun a lodge (Ookaan) in order to secure the help of Naatosi (Sun) in life and death matters such as ensuring the safe return of a husband who had gone off to battle, or in return for the survival of sick relative. To the Blackfoot survival (Kaamotaan) of their people is always a major concern. If a woman was not virtuous the option of a woman vowing to build the sundance lodge in return for survival would be eliminated. This is just one reason for a woman to to be virtuous. In hindsight and in the light of the values of the Blackfoot of that time, Charcoal perhaps should not have been prosecuted and consequently have spared the life of the North West Mounted Policeman. The book is also a good source of history even for members of the Blood Tribe. As with other Dempsey books the research conducted for this book is extremely valuable for those who wish to investigate their own Blood history. Many of his sources are no longer living making his quotes and cites all the more valuable. His record of that information is invaluable to all Blood and Blackfoot. I recommend reading this book especially for those who want to begin to understand the values of the Blackfoot and how those values and norms have evolved or have been corrupted with the coming of Newcomer societies. It is only a beginning... The book is a good read even if just for the sake of reading a good book.