description Paying the Land Overview
"Paying the Land" is a 2020 work of graphic journalism by Maltese-American cartoonist Joe Sacco. The book explores the history and present-day realities of the Indigenous Dene people in Canada's Northwest Territories. Sacco investigates the profound impacts of colonization, residential schools, and modern resource extraction on the community's culture, land, and social fabric. It serves as a detailed sociopolitical record for readers interested in indigenous rights and journalistic nonfiction.
help Paying the Land FAQ
Is Paying the Land fiction or nonfiction?
Paying the Land is a 2020 work of graphic journalism by Joe Sacco, not a fictional adventure. Sacco reports on the history and present-day experiences of the Dene people in Canada's Northwest Territories.
Where does Paying the Land take place?
The book focuses on the Dene communities and lands around the Mackenzie River Valley in the Northwest Territories. It connects local life to the region's oil, gas, and diamond resources. [Macmillan](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781627799034/payingtheland/)
What historical issues does Joe Sacco investigate?
Sacco examines residential schools, the forced movement of Dene people from the bush into settlements, wage labor, and government land claims. The book treats modern mining as the latest pressure in a much longer history of colonization.
Does Paying the Land focus only on mining?
No. Mining is important because diamonds, oil, and gas affect current decisions, but the book also follows Dene cultural revival, land rights, and the lasting effects of colonial policy.
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