Review of Oral History on Trial: Recognizing Aboriginal Narratives in the Courts. By Bruce Granville Miller

Authors

Drew Mildon, Woodward & Company, Victoria, BC

Date of this Version

Spring 2012

Citation

Great Plains Research 22.1 (Spring 2012)

Comments

© 2012 Copyright by the Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Abstract

Anthropologist Bruce Miller's new treatise will prove an essential resource for historians, ethnographers, and anthropologists both inside and outside the academy and for lawyers working in the areas of Aboriginal law and Indigenous rights. Demonstrating the classic "iceberg" principle, Miller's broad and deep knowledge of the contemporary theoretical underpinnings that inform approaches to Indigenous oral history in academic practice and in the courtroom are immediately apparent. He gives us the tip ofthat iceberg in a readable, comprehensible exegesis backed by solid research and accessible references. Addressing the complex theoretical and teleological divisions among disciplines with remarkable lucidity and plain language, Miller paints a picture of the real and perceived interdisciplinary struggles over where and how "truths" may be ascertained-or valued.