Fiction Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
Legends of Vancouver
- Publisher
- Douglas & McIntyre
- Initial publish date
- Jun 1997
- Category
- Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology, Native American, Native American Studies
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781550545531
- Publish Date
- Jun 1997
- List Price
- $14.95
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Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 10
- Grade: 5
Description
A much-loved Canadian classic, Pauline Johnson's Legends of Vancouver was first published in 1911 and has been in print ever since. Through her poetic, romantic retelling of these Native legends, Pauline Johnson takes the reader back to a time long ago, before the city of Vancouver was built, when the land belonged to the Squamish people. These legends explain the stories behind many prominent natural features in and around Vancouver, such as the mountains known as The Lions and Siwash Rock in Stanley Park.
About the authors
Robin Laurence is an award-winning freelance writer, critic and curator based in Vancouver. She has a B.F.A. in studio arts and an M.A. in art history, and was educated at the University of Calgary, the University of Victoria, the Banff School of Fine Arts and the Instituto Allende in Mexico. She has written dozens of essays for local and regional galleries, and her articles on art have appeared in many magazines. Laurence was also visual arts critic for the Georgia Strait and the Vancouver Sun.
Emily Pauline Johnson was born on March 10, 1861 at Chiefswood, her family home on the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario. Her father was George Johnson, a distinguished Mohawk chief. She was equally proud of her British-born mother, Emily Howells, and valued her dual heritage. Pauline was an accomplished poet by her late teens, and her earliest poetry recitals were a great success. From 1892 until 1909, she toured Canada, the United States, and Britain, giving dramatic performances of her poetry and entertaining audiences of all ages with the stories of her people. After her retirement in 1909, she settled in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her published works of poetry and fiction also include The White Wampum (1895), Canadian Born (1903), Flint and Feather (1912) and The Shagganappi (1913).
E. Pauline Johnson died in 1913 and her ashes are buried in Vancouver’s Stanley Park.
Librarian Reviews
Legends of Vancouver
This is E. Pauline Johnson’s classic collection of legends of the Capilano people of North Vancouver. Although of Mohawk and English heritage, Johnson met Squamish Chief Joe Capilano in London, and these legends were told to her by him and other members of the Squamish nation. The book contains a variety of legends, with background and commentary provided by Johnson. Johnson provides insights into differences between the cultures of the West Coast First Nations and the Mohawk people, as well as how she has integrated her mixed background into her world view. Photographs provide an interesting glimpse into old Vancouver.Johnson was a performer, writer and storyteller. Her other works include The White Wampum and Flint and Feather.
Caution: Contains some racist/stereotypical depictions of Aboriginal people.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. Canadian Aboriginal Books for Schools. 2009-2010.
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