National Network for Equitable Library Service

A work in progress since the 1970s, We Remember the Coming of the White Man chronicles the history of the Dene People in the extraordinary time of the early 20th century. Chapters are transcripts of oral histories of ten Elders and revolve around their recollections of the early days of fur trading, missionaries and the 1918 flu pandemic; dismay about the way oil and uranium discoveries and pipelines were handled on their land; and the emotional and economic fallout of the signing of Treaty 11. Bundled with the book is a version on DVD of Raymond Yakeleya's stunning 1978 film We Remember, with director's commentary. The book is rich with photographs, and Elders' stories are in English and Dene Gwich'in language. The audiobook, produced by Leanne Goose and read by Dene, Métis, and Inuvialuit narrators, is available (May 15, 2020). Dene First Nation Elders in the book are Joe Blondin, John Blondin, Elizabeth Yakeleya, Mary Wilson, Isadore Yukon, Peter Thompson, Jim Edwards Sittichinli, Sarah Simon, Johnny Kaye, and Andrew Kunnizzi. For more info, excerpts from the book and film clips, https://durvile.com/books/We_Remember.html