Review
Review of Song of the Earth: The Life of Alfred Joseph
Song of the Earth chronicles the life of Alfred Joseph, a Witsuwit’en hereditary chief who grew up in Hagwilget, on the Bulkley River near Hazleton. In a conversational tone that captures Joseph’s wit and fondness for storytelling, author Ross Hoffman allows Joseph’s own words, transcribed from a series of one-on-one interviews, to tell this remarkable story. Hoffman’s book outlines the Witsuwit’en traditional ways instilled by Joseph’s grandmother in the 1930s, moving through his travels around Canada working in various resource industries, to his central role in the landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision in Delgamuukw vs. British Columbia, which relied on the testimony of Joseph and other hereditary chiefs to establish Indigenous right to land title.