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Hamilton Spectator
6 days ago
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Richard Preston was a pioneer researcher in cultural anthropology
Richard Preston was a researcher, chronicler, collaborator and friend of the James Bay Cree. As an anthropologist, Preston — who died Jan. 7 at age 93 — spent six decades, starting in 1963, researching the cultural ways of the Cree people, meeting with Cree elderly, community leaders and youth. A member of the McMaster anthropology department, he wrote more than 100 articles on the Cree and came out with a book in 2002 called 'Cree Narrative.' He was honoured with the Cree name Preston 'She'yuu (Preston Elder). The Ancaster resident was recognized as a pioneer in cultural anthropology by the courts, and his research helped the Cree in negotiations culminating in the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) in 1975. The agreement, considered the first modern Indigenous treaty in Canada, permitted Quebec to develop the James Bay region with hydroelectric dams but protected the traditional way of life of the Indigenous people. Preston participated in the Cree Way Project that introduced Cree language and cultural traditions into the school curriculum. From 1974-76, he headed up a McMaster project to record history, lore and skills from Cree hunters, develop it into a teaching plan and then co-ordinate it with the standard course of study. There are now more than 500 textbooks printed in Cree syllabics. Preston also advised the Cree during the community consultation in 1977 to relocate the village of Nemaska in northern Quebec, due to flooding from a hydroelectric project. His research wasn't all serious. In 1977, he was the keynote speaker at a Victoria conference on monsters and talked about Witigo, the Sasquatch-like creature that supposedly tramped around the eastern subarctic. 'He's very large, very strong, dirty, hairy and ugly,' he told The Spectator. 'He lives a solitary kind of life in the bush surviving on a diet of warm-blooded creatures, preferably humans.' He got into his vocation by chance. Richard Preston in 1974 when it was announced he would lead a three-year McMaster research project to compile Cree history, folklore and skills and incorporate it all into the Cree school curriculum. 'As an adult, after several brief careers and adventures, I wound up making about 30 trips to James Bay in northwestern Quebec and northeastern Ontario,' he said on his website. 'There, I and (often) my family sojourned in Cree coastal communities where it became my vocation to try and understand what it had been like living the traditional seasonal round in the bush — how life looked like from inside of other people's homes.' Richard Joseph Preston was born May 5, 1931, in the United States to Richard and Alice Preston. His father was a forester who became dean of the School of Forestry at North Carolina State University. He studied at the University of Chicago and the University of North Carolina. He obtained a PhD in cultural anthropology from the latter. He was assistant professor of anthropology at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., between 1965 and 1971. Preston came to McMaster in 1971 to work in its new department of anthropology. He retired in 1996 and served as a professor emeritus. He got his Canadian citizenship in the 1970s. Between 1982 and 1996, Preston headed up a McMaster research project to study the impact of northern Ontario resource development on the subarctic. It focused on hydroelectric projects on five major rivers, which drain into the James and Hudson bays. It also included mining activity and gas pipelines. Preston was active in the local peace community. A Quaker, he was chair of the local Canadian Department of Peace Initiative and a member of Culture of Peace Hamilton. He spoke at the 2012 Hiroshima-Nagasaki Never Again event. He received numerous awards. In 2006, he received the Weaver-Tremblay Award for his contribution to applied anthropology from the Canadian Anthropology Society. He received a World Citizenship Award in 2011 from the city's mundialization committee. Preston is survived by his wife Betty, children Sarah, Alice, Susan, David and Richard, two stepchildren, Dan and Tim, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Sarah, in 1991. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
International Impact – Cree youth celebrate JBNQA anniversary at United Nations
Cree youth delivered a powerful presentation to a capacity crowd at the recent United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York. The side panel, coming on the 50th anniversary of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, highlighted their experience being born into the treaty and their aspirations for the next 50 years. Moderated by Carol-Ann Tanoush with panelists Esquay Masty, Kevin-Joe Mianscum and Tanisha Bear, the April 22 event discussed how the JBNQA guided the Cree Nation's path to self-governance. From early negotiations to subsequent agreements, it has served as a foundation for protecting Cree rights. 'It was a really eye-opening experience,' said Bear, the youngest delegate at age 18. 'I kept thinking about how hard our previous leadership worked to give us these opportunities. It was such an honour to be there and carry on their legacy. It was very moving.' The Cree Nation Government and Department of Justice planned to bring a youth delegation to the UN years ago but cancelled after a measles outbreak in the city. The idea was revived to commemorate the JBNQA's anniversary, with delegates selected based on their contributions to last November's treaty simulation exercise. 'It opens up your world to understand other communities around the world are experiencing similar things,' suggested Donald Nicholls, Cree director of justice and correctional services. 'They did an incredible job connecting with people, creating relationships and participating as much as they could at the UN.' With experience at the UN dating back to the Permanent Forum's formation in 2000 while he was in law school, Nicholls helped lead a pre-trip planning session with background information about the UN and JBNQA. The Cree Nation Youth Council was instrumental in organizing both the treaty simulation and this UN delegation. 'We did preparation sessions to expect the unexpected,' explained CNYC projects coordinator Tania Richmond. 'How to be good network agents, to connect with other Indigenous peoples as a whole, advancing everyone. I gave them a few insights and guidelines, and they came up with an excellent presentation.' Just as the JBNQA was achieved by small communities mobilizing to reach provincial and federal levels, Richmond asserted that the next stage is international cooperation. In that spirit of nation-to-nation building, delegates were taught how to work the room. 'If you're going to shape the future, you might as well be a stakeholder right now,' Richmond said. 'I went there 10 years ago, and it really shaped what I want to do in life. I'm looking forward to seeing how that will still be a part of them in 10 years.' An agreement with the federal government helped fund a larger delegation of Cree youth, totalling 13. During the three days preceding the forum, the youth caucus were able to attend early meetings with Cree leadership. 'That's where you meet Indigenous people from other countries who have gone to the UN for years,' explained Nicholls. For the main event, Quebec First Nations delegates joined a group from the Assembly of First Nations as they entered the UN auditorium. As attendees filled every seat, Cree speakers shared some background for introduction. With Earth Day marking 35 years since the Odeyak's epic arrival to New York in protest of the proposed Great Whale hydroelectric project, Deputy Grand Youth Chief Jordan Masty of Whapmagoostui exclaimed, 'To this day, my river still flows beside my community.' 'Our panel had a great outcome,' said Kevin-Joe Mianscum. 'People asked how we implemented this and got this far. They had a lot of questions about education, our rights.' Focused on the JBNQA, the panelists described how leaders as young as themselves fought in court for their rights, sowing the seeds for services in education, healthcare and much more. They shared hopes for their grandchildren and vowed never to surrender their land, language or culture. 'The other groups were shocked to hear we have a CNYC with youth chiefs in every community,' noted Esquay Masty. 'Where they're from, youth are not sitting in positions of power. There needs to be more youth involvement at decision-making tables.' Back at the main event that afternoon, Nicholls asked Waswanipi Youth Chief Sammy Blacksmith to make the Cree statement on behalf of a coalition for Indigenous rights. In response, the Tsilhqot'in First Nation in BC also asked their youth chief to deliver a speech. Bonding with this group over several days resulted in a planned cultural exchange later this year. 'We shared what the JBNQA has provided for us, and we see how vastly different they live,' said Masty. 'One youth broke down crying, so hurt there's a drug crisis in their community. They don't have the land-based healing or restorative justice programs that we have.' After a week experiencing New York City, including a Mets baseball game, visits to see Cree artifacts in local museums and the unveiling of an UNDRIP-themed billboard in Times Square, the delegation travelled to Yale University in Connecticut on its final day. They delivered another presentation at the school of environment, which had collaborated with the CNG on protected areas files. 'That was one experience I didn't expect, and I was grateful to be able to do that,' Masty said. 'I came back a different person because of everything that we learned. People from all over the Cree Nation are going back to their communities, empowering other youth to come into these spaces as well.'
