In the Village of Viger

Duncan Campbell Scott was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on August 2, 1862. On joining the civil service in 1879, he became a clerk and later commissioner to the Indian tribes of the James Bay Region. It was in these positions that he gained a firsthand knowledge of Canada's native peoples, a knowledge that reflected in much of his work. Eventually, he was made deputy minister of Indian affairs, a post he held from 1913 to 1932.

He is a fine example of a Confederation poet, one who was influenced by both nineteenth-century British and American thought but at the same time developed a commitment to the presentation of his native land and its people. He published two collections of short stories: In the Village of Viger (1896) and The Witching of Elspie (1923). He received the Lorne Pierce Medal in 1927 for his contributions to Canadian literature. He died on December 19, 1947 at the age of 85.

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