Call Me Hank
A Sto Lo Man's Reflections on Logging, Living, and Growing Old

An autobiography of Hank Pennier (1904-1991): logger, storyteller, and self-described 'halfbreed.' This work offers thoughtful reflections on his growing up as a non-status Aboriginal person, searching for work of all kinds during hard times as a young man, working as a logger through the depression of the 1930s up to his retirement, and more.

To Hank's original manuscript, Keith Carlson and Kristina Fagan have added a scholarly introduction situating Hank's writing within historical, literary, and cultural contexts, exploring his ideas and writing style, and offering further information about his life. A map of place names mentioned by Hank, a diagram of a steam logging operation, a glossary of logging terms, and sixteen photographs provide practical and historical complements to Pennier's original lively personal narrative. Pennier's book preceded the proliferation of Aboriginal writing that began with the publication of Maria Campbell's Halfbreed in 1973 and provides a markedly different view of Aboriginal life than other writings of the period. It also documents important aspects of Aboriginal participation in the wage labour economy that have been overlooked by historians, and offers a unique reflection on masculinity, government policy, and industrialization.