“Mr. Burk Is Most Interested in Their Welfare”: J.G. Burk’s Campaign to Help the Anishinabeg of Northwestern Ontario, 1923-53

Abstract

Although there is a small but growing body of literature on Euro-Canadians who acted "with good intentions" towards the First Nations (Haig-Brown and Nock 2006), precious little has been written about those within the ranks of the Department of Indian Affairs who acted benevolently towards the Aboriginal peoples. James Gerry Burk, Indian agent for the Anishinabeg of the western Lake Superior region for three decades (1923-53), was one such individual. He chose to ignore the department's prevailing racist ideology in favour of nurturing the incipient desire for industry and enterprise that he saw first-hand among the Aboriginal constituents of his agency. In the process, he was compelled to overcome numerous obstacles that Indian Affairs placed in his way. As a result, Burk's career stands as a glowing testament to the indomitable spirit of one departmental official's commitment to assisting the Aboriginal peoples.

The Curricular Indian Agent: Discursive Colonization and Indigenous (Dys)Agency in U.S. History Textbooks

“…Some demonstrated a basic desire to preserve Native ways of life: They endeavored to minimize loss of life and property for both Native and non‐Native communities, they worked to diffuse military confrontations, and they supervised distribution of food and supplies. Some Indian Agents recognized the role of culture and epistemology as connected to Indigenous agency by supporting culturally aligned forms of economic development (Kuhlberg, ). Others worked to discourage federal officials from forcing Native children to attend assimilative boarding schools (Ostler, ).…”