British Columbia First Nations

History

    The northwest coast of the continent was touched by Europeans differently than was the eastern coast. The first contact was with explorers and traders, not those who intended to settle the land. Contact was made almost as early as it was on the eastern coast. The white men came for different reasons – to map the coastline, to find a Northwest Passage that would connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and for the lucrative fur trade. Explorers and traders were present along the coast from the late 1500’s, including Russian, British, Spanish, and American expeditions. Trading posts and forts began to be established as early as the late 1700’s.
     By the first half of the 1800’s, the native people were offered employment by the Hudson’s Bay Company and others who had established posts. It caused severe disruption of their traditional society when they moved near the posts. The Europeans introduced new and often destructive influences which further disrupted traditional ways.
     The people did not escape the diseases that decimated other tribes across the continent. In fact, some tribes experienced smallpox epidemics in the late 1700s before they saw their first white man. This occurred because the diseases spread rapidly from east to west across the continent. Although pre-contact estimates of populations are unreliable, all the populations were reduced dramatically. Some tribes were reduced by two thirds or more.
     Vast trading routes existed up and down the coast as well as inland along the rivers. The tribes of the interior of British Columbia were already using metal implements and other items of European origin before first contact.
     The people inhabiting the British Columbia coastline were culturally distinct from other tribes on the continent. There were broad groups that were culturally similar but were subdivided into a number tribes and bands. They were not always friendly toward one another.
The “Coast Salish” occupied both sides of Puget Sound in Washington state, extending northward on both sides of the Georgia Strait into British Columbia, and east to the coastal mountains. Because of their location, they came into contact with the early explorers and traders less frequently than the tribes further north. Inheritance was passed through the father to the son. A chief would normally pass his rank to his eldest son, although it was not uncommon for the son to be passed over for a more favored relative.
In 1846, The Treaty of Washington divided the area into British and American territories. These culturally similar tribes came under different governments. The Canadian government created small, local reserves. The American government favored large, consolidated reservations.
     The Nootka occupied the western coast of Vancouver Island. They were the only tribe that hunted whales in British Columbia, with the chief being the only one allowed to harpoon the whale. Inheritance would pass through either the father or the mother.
The Kwakiutl occupied the northern part of Vancouver Island, from Johnstone strait to Cape Cook, and the mainland from Douglas Channel to Gardner canal. Property and rank passed through the mother in the northern villages. In the southern villages, it passed from the father to his daughter’s husband and from him to the grandchild.
     The Tsimshian occupied coastal as well as inland areas. One group occupied the area around the mouth of the Skeena River, another further upstream, and yet another in the basin of the Nass, or Niska, River. The society was divided into four classes: slaves, commoners, nobles, and a higher class of royalty. Although the coastal Tsimshian hunted sea animals and those further upriver hunted land animals, they all gathered at certain points along the Nass River to harvest salmon.
     The Bella Coola, an isolated tribe of the Coast Salish, occupied a triangular area just east of the Kwakiutl. Although they harvested a rich supply of salmon, they also hunted land animals and gathered and preserved the readily available berries and roots. They were divided into clans, or family groups, which provided – among other things – rights to hunt and fish in a particular area. Although inheritance passed through both father and mother, the women would go to live with their husband’s families, subsequently, the rights of their descendents to these benefits would eventually lapse.
     The northernmost of the British Columbia tribes, the Haida, occupied the interior of the Queen Charlotte islands. The dense forests beyond the coastline were scarce with game, leaving the sea as the main source of food. The deeply indented coastline harbored salmon, halibut, sea otters, sea lions, and seals. They were accomplished in ocean travel and ranged far up and down the coast, “borrowing” social customs from other tribes.
     The “Interior Salish” occupied the interior of British Columbia. They were distinct from the Salish tribes of the coast and were not friendly with each other. Five tribes were included in this designation: the Lilloet, of the Lillooet River valley; Thompson Indians, of the Fraser River valley; Okanagan, of the Okanagan lake area; Lake Indians, of the Arrow Lakes and upper Columbia River; and the Shuswap of the Fraser River valley. The traditional area occupied by these tribes overlaps the international boundary with the United States. The Arrow Lakes tribe is no longer recognized by the Canadian government and are primarily associated with the Colville Confederated Tribe in the state of Washington, United States.
     First contact with Europeans for these tribes was with fur traders who came overland. Notably Alexander McKenzie and Simon Fraser explored the area with the intent to explore the area and establish the fur trade. Both men were instrumental in the establishment of trading posts. They found the people already using metal tools and other items of European origin because they traded with the coast tribes. Native women frequently married fur traders.
     The Kootenay, or Kutenai, occupied the southeastern corner of British Columbia and into the northern part of Idaho, United States. They were divided into two general groups. The Upper Kootenay would regularly cross the mountains to hunt buffalo; the Lower Kootenay’s principle diet was fish. Tradition says that both groups had lived east of the Rockies but had been pushed westward by the Blackfoot. Although inheritance was through the mother, the chief’s son would usually succeed him. The society was less structured than that of the coastal tribes. David Thompson, an explorer and fur trader, established Kutenai House in 1807.
     The Chilcotin occupied the headwaters of the Chilcotin River and Anahim Lake area. Because they traded with many different tribes, much of their culture was borrowed from neighboring tribes, resulting in elements of both plains and coastal cultures. Ft. Chilcotin was established in 1829.
The Carrier lived around the upper Fraser, Blackwater, Nechako, and Bulkley River, and around Stuart and Babine lakes. The rivers provided abundant fish, game was plentiful as were berries and roots. As with the Chilcotin, coastal cultures influenced the social structure to include slaves, commoners, and nobles. Ft. St. James was established in 1806, providing a place for them to trades. A Roman Catholic priest, Father Dremers, began successful missionary work among them in 1843.

Tribes and Bands (First Nations) of British Columbia

Map depicting general distribution of tribes in British Columbia can be found at British Columbia Ministry of Education

Important Web Sites

List of Indian Tribes in British Columbia and other locations in Canada and the United States, from the University of British Columbia Library.

A timeline of historic events is located at British Columbia History

Records

The "Ahousat" Indians Reserve located on Flores Island off the West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.  Record contains some birth, marriage and death records. FHL Film: 924503

 

References

Bibliography

Jenness, Diamond. Indians of Canada. National Museum of Canada, Bulletin 65, Anthropological Series No. 15

Swanton John R. The Indian Tribes of North America. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin #145

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)