Book Review: Clearing the Plains

James Daschuk's Clearing the Plains is a brilliant piece of scholarship, revealing a overlooked aspect of the settling of the Canadian West. Canadian history books have traditionally glossed over Indigenous presence in the region prior to the arrival of European colonists. The traditional narrative often suggests that Indigenous peoples were simply there--but didn't "do much"--and passively conceded their lands and cultures in favor of a "modern" European way of life, without much resistance. Clearing the Plains acts as a detailed and damning footnote to these Eurocentric narratives, revealing a far darker reality. The Indigenous cultures of Canada--as elsewhere in the Americas--were not simply overtaken, but actively and systematically removed from their traditional lands, a process driven by deliberate policy and sustained action.

In a way, this book acts as a Canadian counterpart to Dee Brown's American Indigenous history classic, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, and reading the two side-by-side would offer a fascinating comparative perspective on the topic. Both books illuminate the devastating consequences of colonial expansion, but highlight the distinct approaches taken by the United States and Canada.

The American version of Western colonization was, undeniably, more overtly genocidal. As the American colonies expanded west, the U.S. Army followed, engaging in widespread military campaigns and directly slaughtering tribe after tribe of Indigenous groups. The Indian Wars, culminating in events like the Sand Creek Massacre and the Battle of Wounded Knee, represent horrific examples of this violence.

Canadian colonization, while often presented as more "restrained," was no less destructive to Indigenous society. While Canadian authorities didn't engage in the same scale of direct military slaughter as their American counterparts, the result was still devastating. If Indigenous groups weren't directly murdered by colonizers, as happened frequently in America, it is nonetheless the case that a majority died--either from diseases introduced by Europeans (like smallpox, measles, and influenza, which decimated populations with no prior immunity), or later through deliberate starvation and the erosion of their traditional ways of life. The implementation of policies like the pass system, which restricted Indigenous movement and hunting, played a significant role in this process.

I wonder whether the differences in approach between the two nations were solely attributable to differing government policies. Geography played a significant role. The American West, particularly the areas of California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Great Plains, boasted exceptionally fertile lands and abundant resources. This naturally supported a larger and more dynamic Indigenous population, capable of mounting significant resistance to encroachment. The potential for agricultural wealth also fueled a more aggressive land grab by American settlers and the government, necessitating a more forceful response to Indigenous resistance.

In contrast, much of the Canadian West presented a far more challenging environment. While resources existed, they were often less readily accessible and the growing season was shorter. The vast expanses of boreal forest and subarctic tundra supported smaller, more dispersed Indigenous populations. This isn't to suggest that Indigenous peoples were less resilient or less attached to their lands, but rather that the logistical challenges of large-scale resistance were greater. The relative scarcity of easily exploitable agricultural land also meant that the economic incentives for aggressive land seizure were less pronounced.

Perhaps the Canadian government didn't need to resort to the same level of direct force as their American counterparts because the environmental realities of the region diminished the scale of both the Indigenous population and the potential for large-scale resistance. The deliberate implementation of policies like the pass system, the reserve system, and the residential school system, while devastating, may have been seen as a more "efficient" means of control in a region where Indigenous communities were more dispersed and less able to mount a unified defense. This isn't to excuse the Canadian government's actions, but rather to suggest that environmental factors may have influenced the methods of colonization, even if the ultimate goal--the dispossession of Indigenous peoples--remained the same.

Either way, the consequences were catastrophic for the native populations. Not only were the cultural landscapes of the Canadian West devastated, but so too was the ecology of the region. The relentless pursuit of fur-bearing animals by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and other fur-trade monopolies over centuries depleted vital resources. This was compounded by the near-complete eradication of the buffalo which once populated the prairies in huge numbers. Estimates suggest that between 30 and 60 million buffalo roamed the plains in the 18th and early 19th centuries. By the late 19th century, fewer than 1,000 remained. The buffalo weren't merely a source of food; they were central to the spiritual, social, and economic life of the Plains Indigenous nations--providing food, shelter, clothing, and tools. Their destruction left the region ecologically barren and the Indigenous communities facing starvation.

The formal acquisition of these territories by Canada led to sinister bureaucracies that systematically starved and oppressed the peoples who once lived free in these lands. The treaties--often negotiated unfairly and with a lack of understanding of Indigenous concepts of land ownership--and the reserve system implemented by the Canadian dominion government led to some level of compromise, but largely functioned as an industrial-sized system for propagating abuse and cultural disintegration. The residential school system, established to assimilate Indigenous children into European culture, represents a particularly dark chapter in this history, inflicting lasting trauma on generations.

The best thing about this book, I think, is how it simply lays out the facts, one after the other, allowing the devastating reality to emerge organically. Daschuk avoids sensationalism, instead relying on meticulous research and a clear, concise writing style. It is a fascinating and disturbing read, and has rightly earned its place as a classic in Canadian history. I believe it's a vital read, even for those unfamiliar with the region, as it offers an unflinching look at the death, destruction, and cultural loss that accompanied Western industrial society's expansion across the Americas. It is a powerful reminder of the enduring consequences of colonization and the importance of acknowledging the full and complex history of this land.