Man of Mana: Marius Barbeau by Lawrence Nowry (review)

146 The Canadian Historical Review methodology infused with Paleyite natural theology atypical? According to Michael Gauvreau, the Canadian intellectual scene was dominated by evangelicals who had sidestepped these thorny issues by incorporating other traditions, such as Butler's 'revealed' religion, which did not require evidence of nature as proof of religious truth. Or perhaps Dawson saw more clearly than most that an accommodation of Darwin would, according to A.B. McKillop, 'bankrupt' the Baconian scientific method and separate Paley's joined spheres of science and religion. Part of the author's reluctance to deal with these issues stems from her concerted attempt to ensure that Dawson's life is framed within the context of all his activities, not just the infamous Darwinian controversies . At times there is almost a wishful supplication to Dawson, entreating him not to allow his religiously motivated, anti-Darwinistic zeal to distract him from more 'specialized scientific endeavours,' where 'he might have built a more enduring reputation' (ro6). Dawson did make highly original contributions through his work on paleobotany and on Maritime geology, but how are we to evaluate his other scientific writings, such as the defence of the organic nature of the Eozoon fossil and his rejection of land glacialization? From Koestler to Kuhn, the question of what constitutes 'real' science has troubled historians of the subject. Carlyle claimed that history was the 'distinct product of man's spiritual nature'; perhaps it does no disservice to Dawson to suggest that his sttience was similarly produced. fAMES OPP Carleton University Man of Mana: Marius Barbeau. LAWRENCE NOWRY. Toronto: NC Press 1995· Pp. 448, illus. $27.95 A critical biography of Marius Barbeau (1883-1969), a founding figure in Canadian_folklore and ethnology studies, would be a real contribution to scholarship. Lawrence Nowry's book indicates the fascinating source material on Barbeau in the collections of the Canadian Centre for Folk Culture Studies, but is no more than a detailed chronology of his life. Although the title leads readers to e;x:pect that mana will be an organizing principle for the book, Nowry does not use it thematically. Further, though his concept of folklore - 'a continuity of oral and informal tradition, generally among ordinary working folk as distinct from the literate traditions of a ruling elite' (93) - is appropriate to Barbeau's time and scholarship, his critique seems internally contradictory : 'The explicit meaning offolklore is weakened by Eurocentrism. To be truly scientific, any designation must be consistent and universal' Book Reviews 147 (93). Current theorists might agree with the first statement, but argue that 'scientific' and 'universal' are equally Eurocentric. Nowry's introduction states that academic and popular writing about Barbeau is filled with errors. He fails to detail or argue this assertion, except for a comment, no source indicated, that 'a well-known professor inspired the wicked canard that Barbeau and his wife did not talk to one another during the last thirty years of his life!' (9). Considering his dismissal of academic material on Barbeau, it is surprising that Nowry's bibliography does not include, for example, Carole H. Carpenter's important history of folklore scholarship in Canada, Many Voices (1979), or any other work of anthropological/ethnological historiography. One wonders what works he consulted to draw his conclusion. Nowry draws upon and quotes extensively from original materials, but rarely makes clear the type of source (personal or business letters, interviews, museum reports) in specific instances. Throughout the text are intriguing references to Barbeau's life and work. Close discussion of their relevance to anthropological and ethnological studies would have improved this book, as three examples indicate. The author quotes Barbeau that the Aboriginal people of Lorette 'are most friendly and obliging. Unfortunately, this will not go so far as to induce them to give their work for our museum' (apparently from a letter from Barbeau to his museum superiors) (102). This statement'.s implications for issues ofcultural appropriation are considerable, and thus its source is crucial. Instead of addressing them, however, Nowry comments that Barbeau, the 'greatest practitioner [sic]' of Canadian anthropology , 'dissipated [sic] an expense account of exactly $352.39' (ro2). Barbeau's use of the term 'half-breed,' which Nowry implies would...