2012 catalogue - Home - Gabriel Dumont Institute

Louis: The Heretic Poems
ISBN: 978-0-88971-262-1
Author: Gregory Scofield
Format: Book, English
Price: $18.95
Few figures in Canadian history have attained such an iconic status as Louis Riel. Celebrated Metis poet
Gregory Scofield takes a fresh look at Riel in his new collection, Louis: The Heretic Poems, challenging
traditional conceptions of Riel as simply a folk hero and martyr. By juxtaposing historical events and
quotes with the poetic narrative, Scofield draws attention to the side of the Metis leader that most
Canadians have never contemplated: that of husband, father, friend and lover, poet and visionary.
Scofield also uses the collection to raise attention about the more crucial historical events of Riel’s
lifetime--such as the Manitoba Resistance and the Northwest Resistance at Batoche--in order to
illuminate the history of western Canadian Metis people and their struggles toward recognition.
Scofield also examines Riel’s own poetry, most of which was devoted to exploring religious themes.
Accordingly, religious imagery features strongly in the collection, complemented by a poetic voice
that is rhythmic, repetitious, and lush with potent symbolism and simple, powerful images.
I Knew Two Métis Women: The lives of Dorothy Scofield
and Georgina Houle Young
ISBN: 978-0-920915-95-0
Author: Gregory Scofield
Musicians and Vocalists: John Arcand, Maria Campbell, Tantoo Cardinal, Andrea Menard, Donny
Parenteau, Gregory Scofield
Format: Book/CD, English
Price: $35.00
Gregory Scofield's I Knew Two Métis Women recreates the world of his childhood and celebrates
his Métis family. The unforgettable voices of his mother Dorothy Scofield and aunt Georgina Houle
Young wind through the book, telling tall tales, soothing hurts, offering love and sly humour as an
antidote to hardship, poverty, violence, and prejudice. When words alone no longer suffice, the
women turn to the music of country and western legends whose songs reflect and refract their
lives. The poems reveal that integrity and beauty exist alongside hardship and oppression. The
companion CD includes Scofield's dynamic reading accompanied by the voices and music of an
impressive group of performing artists.
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