CLASSICSBC This Article Is the Sixth in a Series Celebrating Enduring B.C
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CLASSICSBC This article is the sixth in a series celebrating enduring B.C. books. fter languishing on the edges of politi- unemployable, but buoyed by a lively sense of Mixed blood & cal correctness for three decades, this humour and full of stories as a rustic philoso- A rough-hewn classic has been rescued pher. Although he was reduced to bingo, from oblivion and repackaged and retitled by Reader’s Digest, television and social assistance, a scholarly press as ‘Call Me Hank’: A Stólo Pennier retained a proud sense of accomplish- mixed feelings Man’s Reflections on Logging, Living, and ment for having worked extremely hard and One of the first unfettered Métis memoirs from British Columbia— Growing Old (UTP $24.95), edited by for having gained recognition as an excellent not a white-washed “as told to” biography—is Chiefly Indian: The Keith Thor Carlson and Kristina field lacrosse player. Warm and Witty Story of a British Columbia Halfbreed Logger Fagan. In his late 60s, while living on Nicomen “About the only good thing about being a Trunk Road, east of Mission, Pennier received (1972) by Henry Pennier, a Fraser Valley logger and raconteur. halfbreed,” he once said is, “I could buy liq- a visit from a Welsh-born linguistics professor uor.” from Simon Fraser University, E. Wyn Roberts, Hank Pennier was the who hoped to tape-record grandson of a Quebec busi- some “Indian stories” for a nessman who had arrived in linguistic project involving British Columbia in the “And all of us are the Halkomelen language. 1870s, then left his Aborigi- halfbreeds,” he Pennier was congenial nal wife and their son George but not easily controlled. He in order to return to Quebec. said, “not white basically wanted to tell his George Pennier, Henry men and not own stories instead. After Pennier’s father, grew up on several meetings and textual a Harrison River homestead Indian yet we collaborations, Roberts es- and married another look Indian and sentially abandoned his ini- halfbreed [Pennier’s term and tial plans for his linguistic spelling] named Alice Davis. everybody but approach and decided to Two of their eight children Indians takes us serve as Pennier’s unofficial died. agent. Not long after Hank for Indians.” Impressed by Pennier’s Pennier was born in 1904, his intelligence and wit, father was killed in a hunting Roberts approached Jack accident. Raised on an 87-acre homestead ad- Richards, an editor at the Vancouver Sun, sug- joining the Chehalis Reservation, Pennier be- gesting a weekly series featuring Henry came friendly with his new step-grandfather Pennier’s anecdotes and stories. Richards, in at Union Bar, a settlement about three miles turn, connected the Roberts/Pennier duo with east of Hope, and heard many Aboriginal sto- West Vancouver publisher and photographer ries from him. Herb McDonald. Chiefly Indian appeared Pennier was an altar boy at St. Mary’s mis- when Hank Pennier was 68. He died when he sion school, operated by the Oblates, but he was 91. was forced leave that school at age 13 due to Pennier’s self-penned memoir, complete over-enrolment. He attended a public school with some original spellings, erred on the side at Hope until age 15, then started logging in of being colourful and frank, but it provided 1922. Two years later he married Margaret many heartfelt comments by Pennier on his Leon, “a Harrison River Indian too except halfbreed status. there is just a little Chinese in her,” and they “Outside of my work I could not join the had eight children. white society, socially, and if I went to an In- “And all of us are halfbreeds,” he said, “not dian party and there was liquor involved I was white men and not Indian yet we look Indian taking a chance of being jailed regardless of and everybody but Indians takes us for In- whether I had supplied them with liquor or dians.” It was Pennier’s great hope that one not,” he wrote. day racial differentiations could be eradi- “If I had an Indian in the car and also a cated, “but I know I won’t be around sealed bottle of whiskey or a sealed case of beer then. Too bad because then there won’t and a cop stops me on a routine check I would “Being a halfbreed, I had to be any halfbreeds either and that will be be charged with kniving [conniving] which has a damn good thing.” several meanings like the intention of giving fend for myself.” — HANK PENNIER By the 1960s, serious logging injuries him a drink sooner or later.” had left Pennier reliant on a crutch and cane, 0-8020-9426-0 Contributors: Grant Shilling, Mark Forsythe, Sheila Munro, Joan Givner, Sara Cassidy, INDEX to Advertisers Louise Donnelly, Hannah Main-van der Kamp, BC Heather Ramsay. Barry Peterson (photos). BOOKWORLD Arsenal Pulp Press...19 Hignell Printing...42 SFU Writing & Publishing...16 Writing not otherwise credited is by staff. SFU Writers Studio...18 Autumn Issue Vol. 20, No. 3 Banyen Books...35 Houghton Boston Printers...42 BC Historical Federation...34 Julian, Terry...34 Sidney Booktown...40 Proofreaders: Wendy Atkinson, Betty Twigg Bolen Books...38 Literary Press Group...27, 28 Sono Nis Press...6 Publisher/ Writer: Alan Twigg Design: Get-to-the-Point Graphics Editor/Production: David Lester Book Warehouse...38 Morriss Printing...42 Talonbooks...4 Deliveries: Ken Reid Caitlin Press...32 NeWest Press...35 Temeron Books...29 Publication Mail Agreement #40010086 Return undeliverable Canadian Crown Publications...38 New Society Publishers...11 Thomas Allen...15 addresses to: BC BookWorld, We acknowledge the assistance of Canada Council and the Douglas & McIntyre...2 New Star Books...25, 29, 35, 40 Thomson, Ann...34 3516 W. 13th Ave., Vancouver, Province of British Columbia, through the Ministry of BC V6R 2S3 Community, Aboriginal, and Women’s Services. 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Hagios Press...28 Ronsdale Press...8 Yoka’s Coffee...37 Annual subscription: $12.84 Harbour Publishing...44 Royal BC Museum...32 All BC BookWorld reviews are posted online at www.abcbookworld.com HarperCollins...19 Save-On Foods...35 TO ADVERTISE CALL Heritage House...12 Self-Counsel Press...32 604-736-4011 3 BOOKWORLD AUTUMN 2006 PEOPLE Risk peace EVEN WHEN SHE WAS PRESIDENT OF THE International Physicians for the Preven- SALTY tion of Nuclear War—which won the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize—Victoria physician Mary-Wynne Ashford knew dis- armament wasn’t the only answer. “We have to examine the roots of war SISTERS and try to understand why, for over 5,000 years, human groups have repeatedly Mary-Wynne Ashford chosen violence to dominate others,” Amanda Adams she says. “And perhaps more impor- tantly, we must investigate what makes some societies choose looks at maritime not to use violence to dominate others.” With futurist and sustainability consultant Guy Dauncey, myths & mermaids Ashford has highlighted non-violent success stories of heroic individuals who have risked peace in Enough Blood Shed: 101 Solutions to Violence, Terror and War (New Society $23.95). It focuses on how ordinary people make a difference. “Working with Guy Dauncey has been a great pleasure,” she says, “because he is not just a problem solver, he is a problem seeker. He loves finding an issue that needs to be turned on its head and addressed in a new way.” 0-86571-527-0 Ruby, don’t take your gun to town aised in Surrey, Ranj Dhaliwal has had more than a little first hand R experience with the Indo-Canadian “underworld,” the subject of his debut novel, Daaku (New Star $21), the Punjabi word for outlaw. “When you open this novel you enter the daaku’s world,” he says, “and when you close it you leave it—unlike the life of a real daaku whose only exit is death.” The story follows Ranj Dhaliwal Ruby Pandhar, “a teenaged street soldier gun- ning for a generalship,” who eventually struggles to extricate himself from the world of thugs, drug lords and terrorists. Born in Vancouver in 1976, Dhaliwal says he is disturbed by the number of Indo-Canadian gangland murders in Canada and believes (1909) stories such as Daaku are necessary to raise public awareness. He devotes some of his spare time to organizations that deal with at-risk Indo-Cana- COLLIER “Do I dare to eat a peach? I shall wear white dian youth. 1-55420-027-X JOHN flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. BY I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. BABY LAND I do not think they will to me.”— T.S. ELIOT YEAR OF THE DOG THE “PEOPLE BORN IN 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994 AND 2006 ARE ALL BORN UNDER THE SIGN he mermaids were aloof in T.S. Eliot’s of the dog,” says Stanley Coren, citing the 12-year-cycle Chinese The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, but calendar, “and are supposed to have certain dog behaviours and person- alities.