‘uw-wu tst lhu ‘ul melq’ ut (Lest We Forget): Revitalizing Memories of Early Quw’utsun Interactions with the Royal Navy
Date
2024
Authors
Gislason, Aron
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Abstract
This thesis investigates the diplomacy by Quw'utsun leadership during the Royal Navy expeditions of 1853 and 1856 at a time when James Douglas’ was making first efforts to bring the Queen's Law to the Cowichan Valley. These expeditions stood out as largely peaceful diplomatic events compared to other interactions along the Northwest Coast, and the legal, social, political and cultural factors at play are examined in detail.
Consulting primary sources, oral history, and interviewing knowledgeable and experienced Qwu’utsun members, a nuanced reconstruction of these events with attention to the influence of Quw'utsun leaders (Tth’asiyetun and Loxe’) in dialogue with James Douglas is produced. The presence and leadership of these Quw’utsun men have largely been missed in previous analyses of these expeditions, in addition to the social and cultural changes that were occurring at that time.
These interactions are nested within the events of the greater area and beyond, connecting the Crimean War and American expansion into the local histories of Fort Victoria and the Quw'utsun peoples.
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Keywords
Anthropology, Colony of Vancouver Island, Indigenous, Royal Navy, James Douglas, Loxe', Tth'asiyetun