A Sailor Meets A Fisherman In 1534: It's An 'Encounter,' Not A Discovery

Growing up in northwestern Ontario, author Brittany Luby would hear things in history class that didn't line up with what she learned at home. She descends from the Anishinabeg, and "growing up I would hear about our peoples being 'discovered' or our territories being 'discovered,' " she says. "It was really confusing when I would go home and my parents would tell me: That's not actually how things happened."

In her new book, Encounter, Luby imagines the meeting of two men — Fisher and Sailor — on one day in 1534. The story draws from notes made by French explorer Jacques Cartier who let his crew go to shore on his first expedition to what is now North America. From an indigenous perspective, Luby imagines one of those sailors meeting a Stadaconan fisherman whose family has been living on that land and fishing in those waters for generations.

"I wanted to tell a story that showed that the Stadaconans were already here, and that they had knowledge that was valued and valuable in this space ..." Luby says. "I really just wanted to showcase that indigenous presence and cultural vitality." LTC (Join to see)