Written in the Ruins
Cape Breton Islandâs Second Pre-columbian Chinese Settlement
Dundurn Press · Print & ebook · January 23, 2016
2017 Robbie Robertson Dartmouth Book Award â Shortlisted Paul Chiasson reveals the possibility that early Chinese settlers landed in Cape Breton long before Europeans.
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- Who it’s for
- Paul Chiasson investigates St. Peters ruins and a theory of early Chinese settlement in Cape Breton.
- Genres
- Pre-Confederation Canada, Exploration & Discovery, Chinese History
- Published
- Dundurn Press, January 23, 2016
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Start with this bookAbout this book
2017 Robbie Robertson Dartmouth Book Award â Shortlisted Paul Chiasson reveals the possibility that early Chinese settlers landed in Cape Breton long before Europeans. From the very beginning of the European Age of Discovery, Cape Breton was considered unusual. The history of the area even includes early references to the island having once been the land of the Chinese.
Continue reading
In 1497, at least a century before any attempt at European settlement in the region, the explorer John Cabot had referred to Cape Breton as the âIsland of Seven Cities.â The indigenous people of the region, the Miâkmaq, were the only aboriginal people of North America who had a written language when Europeans first arrived. This writing, clothing, and customs also suggested an early Chinese presence. In Written in the Ruins, Chiasson investigates the ruins at St. Peters in the southern part of the island, where evidence brought to light supports a theory that could answer all the questions raised by the islandâs curious, unresolved history.
Cape Breton Clues
Paul Chiasson investigates St. Peters ruins and a theory of early Chinese settlement in Cape Breton.
Come here for
- St. Peters ruins in southern Cape Breton
- The island’s unresolved history and early references to Chinese origins
Expect
- A look at Mi’kmaq writing, clothing, and customs as clues
- John Cabot’s 1497 reference to the “Island of Seven Cities”
Where it sits
| Pre-Confederation Canada | 75% |
|---|---|
| Exploration & Discovery | 41% |
| Chinese History | 34% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Chinese History
- Exploration & Discovery
- Authors
- Paul Chiasson
- Publisher
- Dundurn Press
- Published
- January 23, 2016
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- Chinese History