From Time Immemorial
Reviewed by Richard Van Camp

From Time Immemorial provides an overview of the history (from pre-contact to the present) of the coastal First Nations from the Eyak in Alaska to the Yurok, Hupa, and Karok in California. This excellent resource can be used for social studies or First Nations or Canadian history curriculum. The author, Diane Silvey, and the illustrator, Joe Silvey, have provided a treasure for both students and instructors as they illuminate such topics as “Living in Balance With the Sea – Fishing;” “Living with the Spirits – Ceremonies and Beliefs;” “Expressing a Culture – Art, Drama, Music and Games;” “Living with Other Nations – Trade and Warfare;” and “Losing Rights and Freedoms – Legislation and Discrimination.” It’s easy to see why this text, which is accessible for fundamental level students, was awarded the British Columbia 2000 Book Award. Jan Weiten notes, “The structure of the book allows one to use a single chapter as a stand-alone unit. If we were exploring ‘the arts’ in different time periods or cultures, I could easily incorporate Chapter 7 into that Unit.”

Student comments included “really enjoyed the photographs and drawings;” “learned a lot of new things;” “told me my history as a native;” “told me how to do things like cooking and hunting and to have respect for what we are hunting and fishing and thanking the spirits;” and “It told us what to do with leftovers from the food.” Roy, a student at the Nanaimo campus was delighted to see a picture of his grandfather in the book. Another student remarked, “It told me what my parents couldn’t tell me about my history.”

Instructor comments were: “The writing, thinking and discussion exercises are relevant and interesting for students;” “beautiful layout;” “liked the ‘What do you think?’ questions;” “clear assignments;” “good detailed history;” “like the glossary in the back;” “contemporary viewpoints expressed;” and “like the stories with a moral for each chapter.”

Pacific Edge Publishing is to be commended for publishing such an ambitious project. Both Diane and Joe Silvey have honoured the spirit and history of First Nations people, and they should be proud of themselves. This is definitely an asset to any classroom.

To see an actual sample page of this resource please refer to the PDF