Calvin Henlin. Dances with Dependency: Indigenous Success through Self-Reliance

Calvin Henlin. Dances with Dependency: Indigenous Success through Self-Reliance. Vancouver: Orca Spirit Publishing and Communications, 2006. 313 pp. Bibliography. Index. $34.95 hc. Touted by the publisher as bearing a relevant message of hope to economically troubled First Nations in Canada, Dances with Dependency purports to outline practical ways to move Indigenous populations forward into economic integration. Henlin unabashedly prognosticates a join 'em and win kind of philosophy. He does this by tracing four waves of community development, from the historic migrations of Indigenous people some ten thousand years ago, through the discovery of America by European explorers and resultant colonialism, to the potential attainment of Indigenous economic equitability. Dances with Dependency contains sixteen chapters, divided into four parts that follow the introduction. These are: (i) Demographic Tsunami: Major Problems or Urgent Opportunity; (ii) First and Second Wave: From Self-Reliance to Colonialism; (iii) Impacts of the Third Wave: Cultures and Communities in Disarray; and, (iv) Fourth Wave: A Way Out of the Storm. The last section highlights a message of Indigenous self-reliance through what is advertised by the publisher as real solutions. Part 1, comprising two chapters, outlines the current crisis in First Nations communities in terms of rapid population growth and inadequate employment opportunities (Henlin labels this demographic Tsunami), and delineates the details of economic stagnancy in many Native communities. He calls on Aboriginal leaders to respond positively to the urgent need for Native workers to seek employment in mainstream industries. He suggests that if the socio-fiscal situation of Aboriginal people is not collectively addressed, Canada's finances could be overwhelmed by the impact of their tremendous population growth. Part 2, containing two chapters, deals with the impact of colonialism, and celebrates three lessons from Aboriginal ancestors that ensured their survival in an extremely harsh environment--self-reliance, self-discipline, and moral leadership. These traits must comprise the foundation on which to build practical solutions to problems confronting Indigenous people in the twenty-first century. The devastating implications of colonialism are outlined in the four chapters of part 3, namely the social impact of the welfare trap and external expressions of internalized dependency. Imposed forms of European-originated democratic procedures have worked havoc in Native communities to the extent that workable hereditary forms of governance have been replaced by local, sometimes questionable, politics. …

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