Maata's Journal

Until I reviewed this book for my school booktalks, I had no idea that the Inuits were forced by the Canadian Gov't. into camps. This is a very interesting and informative read that most young adults will easily get "into". The reader is torn for Maata as one reads her life accounts....great for those who prefer the "journal entry" type of book.

Maata was only 8 years old when the Canadian government forced everyone in her village to move to a new settlement - one with wooden buildings, a school, a church and a place where they would be seperated from the land that had been part of their culture for generations. It would be more difficult to hunt and observe the rites of passage in the high arctic lands. There was also the availability of alcohol - something that threatened to destroy their community. Through her diary entries in the year 1924, when she is marooned on a remote island with a mapping expedition struck by disaster, Maata reflects on her life's adventures - from going to a boarding school in Quebec City, to learning English from a wizened old Inuit woman. This book is a nice, easy read that will teach people many things about the culture of the Inuit and their history.

That the Inuits were taken from their Arctic tundra to settlement camps by the Canadian government. Maata's family is forced to leave their home and they are rudely dumped in a freezing and empty place and basically left to die. There is, however, plenty of alcohol. It is easy to see what the government hoped was in store for all the Inuits. In this story, they do have their champions. These come in the form of explorers who are there to learn the Inuit ways and map and study the area. Although it is freezing and harsh, we are able to see the amazing beauty of life and the cold landscape. We understand why Maata's mother wants her to learn both her own and the English way of life. She will be a bridge for both worlds. When the explorers take Maata to be their guide on an expedition, all is almost lost. I enjoyed going along with Maata on all her journeys.