This comprehensive text deals with an important and often understudied part of Canadian history and heritage. It focuses on all facets of Aboriginal culture, history, and challenges from the past to the present with a careful balance between brutal honesty and uplifting accounts of hope and perseverance. It includes biographies of key Aboriginal figures (i.e. Big Bear, Rosemarie Kuptana, Susan Aglukark) and examines current issues (i.e. Nunavut, Nisga, Oka and Ipperwash).