From the Great River to the Ends of the Earth (The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate)

Catholic missionaries originally saw the Mackenzie River as the heart of a vast kingdom of souls to be gained for God, whatever the claims of any other power to sovereignty. The Dene did not share this view. Martha McCarthy balances Dene oral tradition with documentary sources to explore this important and difficult period in the developing relationships between Europeans and First Nations peoples in Canada. The Dene Have Lived From Time Immemorial In The Athabasca And Mackenzie Regions. From The Arrival Of The Oblates Of Mary Immaculate As Catholic Missionaries In 1847 To The Signing Of Treaty Ii In 1921, An Intricate Web Of Relationships Developed Among The Dene, The Oblates, The Church In Rome, The Hudson's Bay Company, The Anglican Church Missionary Society, And The Government Of Canada. In The Beginning, The Oblates Saw The Mackenzie River As The Heart Of A Vast Kingdom Of Souls To Be Gained For God, Whatever The Claims Of Any Other Power To Sovereignty. The Dene Did Not Share This View. For Them, Dehcho - The Mackenzie River - Symbolized The Continuity Of The Dene: Their Capacity To Survive Many Changes, Yet Remain Essentially Dene. Martha Mccarthy Balances Dene Oral Tradition With Documentary Sources To Examine This Important And Difficult Period In The Developing Relationships Between Europeans And First Nations Peoples In Canada.--jacket. 1. Worlds Apart: The Old World -- 2. Worlds Apart: The New World -- 3. Policy And Pragmatism: The Oblates And The Hudson's Bay Company -- 4. Rivals In Faith: Oblates Versus Anglicans -- 5. Structures And Infrastructure -- 6. When Two Worlds Met -- 7. Lay Leadership Among The Dene -- 8. Metis Auxiliaries -- 9. Health And Well-being: Medicine And Mission -- 10. Protest And Prophecy -- 11. Education And Evangelization -- 12. Oblates, Dene, And The Canadian Government -- 13. A New Heaven And A New Earth -- Appendix A: Dene Population Statistics -- Appendix B: Sickness And Medicine -- Appendix C: Oblate Missions To The Dene. Martha Mccarthy. Includes Index. Includes Bibiliographical References: P. 245-261.