gnu, glad to see you smoked the peace pipe there. As one who's ancestors were sold out by their chiefs, moved off their land, had the wearing their clothes and carrying out the rituals of their culture outlawed and generally screwed around in the name of greed and profit, I do not find the Chief's historic perspective skewed and I'm sure a lot of Scots back then could empathize.

If it hadn't been for a few friends in the first nations and their willingness to share their knowledge and their skills, none of my forebears would have survived a winter, let alone found a route west overland to race the roaring Fraser to the sea.

We may have had "bigger canoes" and been in the possession of some technological advancements, but our human advancement was not necessarily superior.

Perhap's Franklin would not have got lost as often as he did, had he had the forethought to take a few "friends" along to show him the way.