The opening of the Canadian West has been much celebrated in the literature of recent times. But the devastating effect of the white man's enterprise on the First Nations remains in the shadows. This book shines a light on this neglected aspect of history. Through the eyes of Luther Schuetze, we are given a glimpse of the Anishinabe people struggling for survival in the bush of northern Manitoba.Luther was beginning his life as a homesteader in Alberta when a devastating illness brought him to death's door. Then a miraculous healing occurred, and he knew his life's purpose was to serve his Lord. Setting out by canoe on Lake Winnipeg, Luther, his wife, and four children travel up the perilous Berens River to a remote native settlement. Over the next eleven years he serves as doctor, dentist, and teacher, while bringing the Gospel, in both word and deed, to those he touches.

Enlivened by photographs and Luther's wry, anecdotal humour, you will run rapids, dog sled, and fish in the beautiful country he knew so well. You will meet the owl whose trust he won, learn about the heartful people he cared for, and witness the shaman's medicine he challenged.