Indigenous peoples -- Canada -- Government relations, Protest movements -- Canada, Indigenous peoples -- Canada -- Social conditions, Protest movements, Indigenous peoples -- Government relations 

"On September 30th, 1974, the Native People's Caravan arrived in Ottawa for the thirtieth official opening of the Canadian Parliament. The Caravan had set out from Vancouver only two weeks before, with little advance planning and no official funding. It had come to talk about housing, education and health care, but when the people of the Caravan arrived on Parliament Hill the Prime Minister refused to meet them. Instead, they were charged by helmeted, club-swinging, riot-trained police.

This book is a first-person account of the Native People's Caravan by one of its members and co-founders. Vern Harper tells the story of the Caravan in the narrative style of the Native oral tradition, recounting its origins, the obstacles it overcame as it travelled across the country, and the learning experience it provided for the people in it.

The Native People's Caravan marked the climax of a dramatic period of Native militancy, closely following the occupation of Anicinabe Park and the road blockade at Cache Creek. In Following the Red Path Vern Harper discusses both the history of the Native movement and its future. He states that the movement has been on an upswing since 1974—though it hasn't always been in the headlines. Native people have been working in their communities and building their organizations, developing their political skills for future struggle.

And, the author emphasizes, "many of us are going back to the sacred ways of our people." In the conclusion to this book, Vern Harper discusses the connections between the political and spiritual aspects of the movement, and his belief that the road to Native Nationhood lies in following the red path of Native spiritualism."--Back cover. 

93 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 28 cm. 

Contents:
I. How the caravan began --
II. Vancouver to Saskatoon: on the road --
III. Regina: no drinking allowed --
IV. Winnipeg: showdown over the RCMP --
V. Kenora: the leadership splits --
VI. Thunder Bay: a new leadership emerges --
VII. The Soo and Sudbury: picking up speed --
VIII. Time out to rest --
IX. Trouble in Toronto --
X. On to Ottawa --
XI. The RCMP riot --
XII. Back from the hill --
XIII. The Native people's embassy --
XIV. Government-funded native organizations --
XV. What after tomorrow? --
XVI. Following the red path