Review Of Maria Campbell's Stories Of The Road Allowance People

Maria Campbell’s Stories of the Road Allowance People provides the audience with engaging stories told by elders of the Metis. Campbell draws the reader into the life and culture of those whose stories it shares. Her use of elder storytelling creates an entertaining piece of literature while also providing an accurate depiction of Indigenous history through stories. She represents the storytellers in her book with dignity and power by using the stories of true elders of the Metis and transcribing the oral stories as accurately as possible on the pages. This is largely manifested by her use of unconventional dialect and structure throughout the stories. This allows the reader to process the book in a very audible way by visualizing every

Susan Gingell interviewed Maria Campbell on Stories of the Road Allowance People and the significance behind every facet of the book. When asked about the breaks in the lines that read like a poem, Campbell responded “When we are studying oral tradition, the first thing we are taught is the importance of breath. It was the first thing in creation, the first rhythm. Breath, we are told, is sacred, so we have to be very careful with it” (Gingell 191). Campbell makes it clear that breathe adds a very spiritual characteristic to the stories, which is very important in Indigenous storytelling. The poetic readings of the story provide additional dimension by guiding the reader to build his or her own imagination throughout the

Art can have two notable effects on the observer; it can add depth to a story, or create its own story within itself. The visual accompaniments in Stories of the Road Allowance Peoples truly completes the stories told. They help the reader better conceptualize the stories without giving a distinct picture, but rather helps begin the readers own imagination to view with the stories. This book was very carefully and beautifully constructed by Maria Campbell’s vision to share these stories with all audiences, and each contributing person helps complete the book as a