Howard Adams (Métis)

Howard Adams was a Métis educator, historian, author and political leader whose career joined pioneering university achievements with a sustained challenge to colonialism. 1 His books and community work helped Métis readers and students examine their history, understand the effects of racism and affirm their capacity to act politically. 2

Adams became closely associated with the Red Power movement in Saskatchewan and with arguments for Indigenous self-determination. 3 His influence rested on both scholarship and public organizing: he treated education, historical interpretation and political consciousness as connected concerns. His work also attracted criticism, making its reception an essential part of an account of his life. 4

Family origins and early education

Adams was born on 8 September 1921 at St. Louis, Saskatchewan. 5 His parents were Olive McDougall and William Adams, whose ancestry linked French and English Métis families with Cree forebears. His great-grandfather, Maxime Lépine, had been an associate of Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont in the 1885 resistance. 6 This family history placed Adams within a community with living connections to Métis political struggle.

A contemporary profile in A Pictorial History of the Métis and Non-Status Indians of Saskatchewan recalls the influence of a sympathetic teacher in his one-room school at St. Louis. The account connects this encouragement with his early appreciation of education. 3 His later career retained that concern with the relationship between what people learn about themselves and the opportunities available to them.

He completed high school in 1940 and served as a Royal Canadian Mounted Police constable until 1944. From 1944 to 1955, he worked as a school liaison counsellor for the Vancouver School Board while pursuing university education. 5 His route to an academic career therefore included employment in policing and schools before advanced historical study.

University study and academic milestones

In 1950, Adams earned a BA in sociology at the University of British Columbia. He was the first Indigenous Canadian to earn a BA in sociology at a Canadian university, the first Indigenous Canadian to earn a baccalaureate at UBC and the second Indigenous Canadian to graduate from UBC. 1 These accomplishments established an early place for him in the history of Indigenous university participation.

He received a teaching diploma from the University of Toronto in 1957 and taught high school in Coquitlam, British Columbia, from 1957 to 1962. 5 On 9 February 1957, he married Margaret Belle Baxter, later commonly known as Marge. 6

Adams entered graduate study at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1962. 5 He earned his PhD in the history of education in 1966. He became the first Indigenous Canadian to earn a PhD at a North American university and the second Indigenous Canadian to earn a doctoral degree. 1

That same year, he joined the University of Saskatchewan as an associate professor. The timeline establishes this as the first appointment of an Indigenous Canadian as an associate professor at a Canadian university. It places his service in the College of Education between 1966 and 1975 and his departure to teach in the United States in 1976. 1

Berkeley and political transformation

Berkeley was important to Adams’s political development as well as his academic training. Deborah Simmons’s scholarly tribute describes how hearing Malcolm X and encountering Black nationalist politics encouraged him to reclaim his Métis identity. He began to understand personal alienation through the history of colonial domination and collective resistance. 7

This intellectual change informed the relationship between autobiography and history in his later writing. Simmons interprets his narratives as showing how an identity associated with shame could become a source of pride and political action. Frantz Fanon’s analysis of colonization provided an important point of reference. 7 Adams’s subsequent return to Saskatchewan brought these ideas into Métis community organizing. 3

Métis leadership in Saskatchewan

The provincial setting was one of growing Indigenous assertiveness. Historian James M. Pitsula’s study of the Thatcher government describes a widening estrangement between provincial authorities and Indigenous organizations during the 1960s. Government initiatives and an expanding political awakening did not produce the cooperative relationship that might have been expected. 8 Adams’s leadership developed within these tensions.

The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission’s pictorial history credits him with a major role in bringing northern and southern Métis organizations together in 1967. It records his presidency of the Métis Society of Saskatchewan from 1969 to 1971 and emphasizes his work organizing branches and encouraging political awareness. It also places him among those establishing a Red Power movement in the province. 3

Adams sought opportunities for Métis people to speak and publish on their own terms. The Gabriel Dumont Institute identifies him as the founder of New Breed Magazine, a publication devoted to Métis concerns. 2 His involvement in print culture extended the educational purposes of his teaching into public discussion.

His political independence was a defining feature of his public reputation. Indspire’s award profile records that he declined an invitation to become Saskatchewan’s deputy minister of Indian and Métis Affairs. 9 His papers include correspondence concerning that refusal, as well as records about employment, educational opportunities, prison inmates, children’s rights, housing and poverty. These archival categories reveal the breadth of the issues occupying him beyond formal organizational leadership. 10

Historical scholarship and Prison of Grass

Adams’s first book, The Education of Canadians 1800–1867: The Roots of Separatism, appeared in 1968. 11 Simmons connects its analysis of state policy, the Catholic Church and Quebec society with his concern about educational power and his support for Quebec self-determination. 7

Prison of Grass: Canada from the Native Point of View followed in 1975. 12 A revised edition appeared in 1989. 13 Combining autobiographical material with historical argument, it examined the psychological and cultural effects of colonial domination and connected Indigenous oppression with racism and capitalism. 4

The book challenged accounts that portrayed Indigenous peoples as lacking government or requiring civilization from settlers. It brought Indigenous perspectives into a direct confrontation with narratives derived from government documents. 13 Its contents range across the fur trade, missionary activity, Métis nationhood, the 1885 conflict, schooling and the effects of colonialism on personality. The concluding discussion turns to nationalism, decolonization and liberation. 14

This structure linked the writing of history to contemporary political questions. The book’s attention to schooling and the internalization of racist beliefs made the production of knowledge part of its analysis of colonial power. 14 It asked readers to consider how interpretations of the past could affect the possibilities they saw for themselves in the present.

Scholarly reception and later writing

Prison of Grass attracted attention without securing unanimous scholarly approval. In a 1992 review, anthropologist Barnett Richling noted weaknesses in historical scholarship and generalizations about Indigenous cultures. He nevertheless recognized the book’s value as an early examination of the connection between historical writing and colonialism. 4

Richling also questioned the extent of the 1989 revision, arguing that it offered little substantive engagement with the political developments since the original publication. His assessment distinguishes the importance of the earlier intervention from the contribution of the later edition. 4 Simmons’s subsequent tribute offered a more affirmative interpretation of Adams’s intellectual contribution, emphasizing his account of Indigenous oppression and resistance. 7

Adams continued his critique in A Tortured People: The Politics of Colonization, published by Theytus Books in 1995. A revised edition appeared in 1999. 15, 16 The book addressed colonialism through experiences of Métis and other Indigenous communities and explored decolonization in contemporary life. 17

His critique extended to Indigenous leadership when he believed that dependence on government funding encouraged political accommodation. The Métis Dictionary of Biography identifies this concern as a recurring part of his Marxist and Métis nationalist outlook. 6 Such arguments made his work challenging within Indigenous politics as well as within Canadian institutions.

Teaching across borders and later years

Following his Saskatchewan appointment, Adams taught Native American Studies at the University of California, Davis. He retired in 1987 and subsequently held emeritus status. In 1988, he and Marge moved to Vancouver, and he returned to Saskatchewan to teach spring and summer courses in Native Studies. 5, 9

The Gabriel Dumont Institute remembers his later teaching in the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program. Its account emphasizes his encouragement of pride in Indigenous heritage and his provision of ideas with which students could understand and challenge colonization. 2 Indspire also records his adjunct membership in the University of Alberta’s graduate program in First Nations education. 9

In 1999, he received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award in the Education category. The award recognized an educator whose university standing and political commitments had developed together. 9 He died of a sudden stroke on 8 September 2001, his eightieth birthday, in Vancouver. 7, 6

Posthumous biography and enduring legacy

The Gabriel Dumont Institute published Howard Adams: OTAPAWY! The Life of a Métis Leader in His Own Words and in Those of His Contemporaries in 2005. Edited by Hartmut Lutz, Murray Hamilton and Donna Heimbecker, it brought Adams’s writing together with recollections from people who knew him. 18 Its accompanying CD-ROM included photographs and documents relating to his life. 19

Laura Stevens’s contemporary report explains that the editors worked with his widow, Margaret, using unfinished autobiographical and fictional manuscripts. The resulting volume therefore contains different kinds of writing as well as personal testimony. It preserves his voice while also recording how colleagues and community members understood his influence. 20

Murray Hamilton, a Métis educator and contributor to the volume, recalled Adams’s emphasis on political consciousness and pride in Métis history. The editors directed their royalty payments to the Marge and Howard Adams Scholarship Fund for Métis students at the University of Saskatchewan. 20 Marge also donated photographs of Adams, relatives and friends to the Gabriel Dumont Institute. 2

His archival legacy extends to the Howard Adams fonds at Library and Archives Canada. Its finding aid lists educational correspondence, social activism, speeches, research and autobiographical manuscripts. These records provide a basis for further study of the connections between his academic work and political commitments. 10

Adams’s historical significance encompasses the academic milestones established by the supplied timeline, his role in Métis organization and publishing, and the debates generated by his books. 1, 2, 3, 4 His life also demonstrates how a scholar could use teaching and historical interpretation to encourage Indigenous political agency. The criticism and continuing appreciation of his work are both part of that legacy.

References

1. Indigenous Canadian Academic Milestones: A Timeline; https://indigenius-canada.wishartlab.com/pioneers/ (accessed 7 October 2026).
2. Gabriel Dumont Institute. Adams, Howard, images and papers [Internet]. Saskatoon: Gabriel Dumont Institute; [date unknown] [cited 2026 Oct 10]. Available from: https://www.metismuseum.ca/browse/index.php/700
3. Guest AM. A pictorial history of the Métis and Non-Status Indians of Saskatchewan [Internet]. Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission; 1976 [cited 2026 Oct 10]. p. 46. Available from: https://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/12301.A%20Pictorial%20History%20of%20the%20Metis%20and%20Non-Status%20Indian%20in%20Saskatchewan.PDF
4. Richling B. [Review of Prison of grass: Canada from a native point of view, revised edition, by Howard Adams]. Can J Native Stud. 1992;12(1):147–49. Available from: https://cjns.brandonu.ca/wp-content/uploads/12-1-bkrev121.pdf
5. Laliberté R. Adams, Howard (1921–2001). In: Indigenous Saskatchewan Encyclopedia [Internet]. Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan; [date unknown] [cited 2026 Oct 10]. Available from: https://teaching.usask.ca/indigenoussk/import/adams_howard_1921-2001.php
6. Barkwell LJ, editor. Metis dictionary of biography. Vol. A [Internet]. Winnipeg: Louis Riel Institute; 2014 [cited 2026 Oct 10]. p. 17–18. Available from: https://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/149484.Catalogue%2520Dictionary%2520A%2520Catalogue.pdf
7. Simmons D. In tribute to Howard Adams. Stud Polit Econ. 2002;68(1):5–12. doi:10.1080/19187033.2002.11675187.
8. Pitsula JM. The Thatcher government in Saskatchewan and the revival of Metis nationalism, 1964–71. Great Plains Q. 1997;17(3–4):213–35. Available from: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly/1953/
9. Indspire. Howard Adams: Education (1999) [Internet]. Indspire; [date unknown] [cited 2026 Oct 10]. Available from: https://indspire.ca/laureate/howard-adams-2/
10. Grenke A, Maurice A. Howard Adams fonds R10982: finding aid no. 2346 [Internet]. Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada; 2004 [revised 2005; cited 2026 Oct 10]. Available from: https://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf001/p000000880.pdf
11. Adams H. The education of Canadians 1800–1867: the roots of separatism. Montreal: Harvest House; 1968.
12. Adams H. Prison of grass: Canada from the native point of view. Toronto: New Press; 1975.
13. Adams H. Prison of grass: Canada from a native point of view. Rev ed. Saskatoon: Fifth House Publishers; 1989.
14. Labour Studies Index. Prison of grass: Canada from a native point of view [Internet]. [place unknown]: Labour Studies Index; [date unknown] [cited 2026 Oct 10]. Available from: https://labourstudies.ca/lsi/TMRLXWZT
15. Adams H. A tortured people: the politics of colonization. Penticton (BC): Theytus Books; 1995.
16. Adams H. Tortured people: the politics of colonization. Rev ed. Penticton (BC): Theytus Books; 1999.
17. Connexions. Tortured people (revised edition): the politics of colonization [Internet]. Toronto: Connexions; [date unknown] [cited 2026 Oct 10]. Available from: https://connexions.org/CxLibrary/CX15956.htm
18. Lutz H, Hamilton M, Heimbecker D, editors. Howard Adams: OTAPAWY! The life of a Métis leader in his own words and in those of his contemporaries. Saskatoon: Gabriel Dumont Institute; 2005.
19. Gabriel Dumont Institute. Howard Adams: OTAPAWY! The life of a Métis leader in his own words and in those of his contemporaries [Internet]. Saskatoon: Gabriel Dumont Institute; [date unknown] [cited 2026 Oct 10]. Available from: https://gdins.org/product/howard-adams-otapawy-the-life-of-a-metis-leader-in-his-own-words-and-in-those-of-his-contemporaries/
20. Stevens L. Life and contributions of Howard Adams celebrated. Saskatchewan Sage [Internet]. 2005 [cited 2026 Oct 10];10(1):7. Available from: https://www.ammsa.com/publications/saskatchewan-sage/life-and-contributions-howard-adams-celebrated