This text is a historically grounded look at the wide variety of issues that inform the lives of Native peoples in Canada today. The book is divided into four sections: Philosophy and Worldview, History, Political Economy, and Contemporary Issues. In addition to those topics commonly considered in existing texts, such as health, politics, self-government, and urban reserves, Belanger includes unique chapters on Native philosophy, language, art and literature, and writing about Native history and Native issues. This text is designed to satisfy the needs identified by students, while presenting an academic interpretation illustrative of how Native people in Canada scrutinize the last four centuries of contact. It also highlights the socio-political and socio-economic challenges impacting Native leaders and their communities nationally. Belanger avoids historicizing Native people. Rather, the text contextualizes the larger historical narrative while also demonstrating how history continues to inform the evolution of self-government, urban reserve development, literature, and health. Written in a narrative style that largely avoids technical language, this book is unique in that it is written for lower-division students being introduced for the first time to Native issues framed from an academic perspective.