Books, Big Ideas, Q&As

Separate, not equal: the story of Canada in a Manitoba valley

The following is an excerpt from Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation, by Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Douglas Sanderson (Amo Binashii). The two authors explore the history of two Prairie communities: one Indigenous, one non-Indigenous living side by side, separate and unequal, and what it means for the rest of us.

Authors Stobo Sniderman, left, and Douglas Sanderson (Amo Binashii) on why they wrote the book: 'Valley of the Birdtail began as a story about the unfair and unequal education on Indian reserves. To tell that story, we found that we had to go back to the beginning, and the book became a story about Canada. In the end, we found a measure of hope.' Image courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers

Feature

BY ANDREW STOBO SNIDERMAN AND DOUGLAS SANDERSON

May 8, 2023

People say Manitoba is so flat that you can watch a dog run away for days. Not here, though—here, there is a valley, the parting gift of a retreating glacier. Along the floor of this valley winds the Birdtail River. It is not the mightiest of rivers; some maps acknowledge ...

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