Take Us to Your Chief
Take Us to Your Chief is a collection of archetypal science-fiction stories reinvented with a contemporary First Nations outlook. The nine stories in this collection span all traditional tropes of science fiction – from peaceful aliens to hostile invaders; from space travel to time travel; from government conspiracies to connections across generations. Yet Taylor’s First Nations perspective draws fresh parallels, likening the cultural implications of alien contact to those of the arrival of Europeans to the Americas, or highlighting the impossibility of remaining a “good Native” in such an unnatural situation as a space mission. Infused with Native stories and compellingly mysterious, magical and humorous, Take Us to Your Chief is the perfect mesh of nostalgically 1950’s-esque science fiction with modern First Nations discourse.
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Reviews
It’s hard to find a new spin on classic science-fiction tropes. First contact with aliens, government conspiracies, time travel, emergent artificial intelligence…They’ve all been done before. And yet they feel remarkably fresh when in the hands of author Drew Hayden Taylor.
It is a quality of Taylor’s work to leave you with not one lasting thought but three or four, and he brings a healthy dose of levity to this collection along with more solemn moments. Each of these stories addresses broad human experiences like loss and identity, topical issues like the importance of seeing First Nations people represented in all fields, while also having fun with robots and spaceships. Indeed, “Superdisappointed” is pure fun as it follows Kyle, the world’s first Aboriginal superhero, throughout his day. Yet, it’s also one of the most effective stories of the collection, achieving Taylor’s goal of expanding the definition of First Nations literature in the most straightforward manner possible, simply by casting an Indigenous man in the role of superhero.
As a non-Aboriginal reader who lives alongside some of the First Nations featured in the stories, notably the Kwakwaka’wakw, I found Taylor’s stories accessible, even when they’re exploring some complex and uncomfortable aspects of life for the First Nations of Canada. Taylor injects humour into even the darkest of his tales, and this works well to alleviate tension (when necessary), but also show another side to First Nations communities that is often misunderstood or ignored entirely—each story is sly and sharply observant. Collectively, these stories expose and address the many complicated challenges faced by modern First Nations communities, and through the unrelenting forward-thinking optimism of science fiction, Taylor looks to the future for answers. Take Us to Your Chief is a unique collection that offers a potent reminder of why science fiction is one of the most important literary mediums.
I absolutely loved Take Us To Your Chief, by Drew Hayden Taylor, which was just as fun as its cover promised, and meaningful in a way I should have expected.
Beyond being purely personal writing and “a labour of fun” for Taylor, he has found a brilliant way to spotlight the true dystopian condition of Canada’s First Nations people through classic themes first used by Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and even Stan Lee, with his superheroes born either on other planets or in freak accidents involving toxic chemicals.
…with a recognized need for change in the perception of Canada’s indigenous peoples, literature like this is timely, needed and logical.
Drew Hayden Taylor’s Take Us To Your Chief a mash-up that ensures you’ll never see dream catchers the same way again.
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