Strange Visitors Documents in Indigenous-Settler Relations in Canada from 1876

This is a timely, thoughtful, and useful collection of primary documents on the history of the interactions among Indigenous people, non-Indigenous people, and the Canadian state. Given what is currently available, it will be invaluable to those teaching Native Studies, Canadian history and, at least as background material, Indigenous law. - BC Studies Keith D. Smith's Strange Visitors: Documents in Indigenous-Settler Relations in Canada from 1876 is an excellent resource for instructors and students alike, and it could not have been published at a better time. In a clearly written introduction to a collection of primary source documents for Indigenous studies and Canadian history classes, the author has provided a how-to manual to critically assess both historical and modern documents. Smith reminds us that critical reading is 'a life skill-some might say even a duty in a democratic society' (xxiii). In very accessible language, he breaks down the difference between 'reading with the grain'-what an author wants the reader to believe-and 'reading against the grain'-that is, interrogating the document to uncover embedded meanings. The introduction is so clearly written that Smith's book should serve not only as a text for undergraduates but could easily find a niche in high school classes where teachers often struggle to find high-quality resources for their students. - Canadian Historical Review