Dene Elder George Blondin creates a spiritual guidebook that weaves together oral stories with the recounting of how the northern Canadian Dene came to depend on the European fur traders. The result is a magical journey for readers of any heritage.

George Blondin is a Dene Elder who was born in 1923 in the Northwest Territories. He has been a wilderness guide, a miner, a trapper, Vice President of the Dene Nation, and in 1989 was elected chairman of the Denendah Elders Council. He now works parttime with the Dene Cultural Institution and writes articles for local newspapers. In 1990, Mr. Blondin was the recipient of the annual Ross Charles award for native journalism. He is the author of When the World Was New and Yamoria the Lawmaker.

George Blondin's profile page

Yamoria the Lawmaker: Stories of the Dene

This written record of Dene history and culture includes accounts of residential schools and other aspects of cultural change. Traditional survival techniques, respect for animals, and the importance of singing and dancing are referenced. The value of Dene laws, which are clearly explained, form the heart of the book. An important element in the book is Medicine Power and the ways it has been used over centuries – as protection from enemies and illness, for assistance with the hunt or as a way to connect with the spirit world. Some sections are direct transcriptions of the words of elders.

Caution: Some accounts contain violence. Inferred criticisms of the Christian church may offend some. Some views e.g. that women must obey their husbands, are outdated.