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==Research Guides==
*[https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/sites/default/files/documents/final_rbcm_indigenous_reserach_guide_refresh_digital.pdf RESEARCHING INDIGENOUS COLLECTIONS AT THE ROYAL BC MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES]
*[https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/images/first_nations_guide_2018.pdf First Nations Research]
*[https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/images/first_nations_guide_2018.pdf RESOURCES FOR FIRST NATIONS GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH AT THE BC ARCHIVES]
*[https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/images/indigenous_registrations_1917-1956_on_microfilm_.pdf Indigenous Vital Events Registrations (1917 — 1956)]


== History  ==
== History  ==


==== '''Brief History of the Coast Salish'''  ====
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 of tribes and bands. They were frequently enemies. Although there were differences in the degree to which the customs were practiced by each tribe or band, they all had social classes of royalty and/or nobles, commoners, and slaves. Each group practiced the custom of the potlatch. The potlatch was the custom of a man having a huge feast to which he invited others and gave away vast amounts of goods. There were positive and negative effects to this custom. In some tribes, slaves might be absorbed into the tribe while in others they were always slaves.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The term “Coast Salish” is a designation which includes many tribes and bands in British Columbia and beyond. It refers to a cultural group rather than a single tribe. <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; These culturally similar groups occupied both sides of Puget Sound in present day Washington state, extending northward on both sides of the Georgia Strait into British Columbia, and east to the coastal mountains.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Population estimates before first contact are unreliable. The diseases introduced to the native races by the Europeans traveled across the continent and afflicted these tribes before first contact. While it is not known how these diseases effected the population before first contact, it is estimated that smallpox epidemics in the 1800's reduced the population by two thirds.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Fur traders established forts from the mouth of the Columbia River northward in the early 1800’s. By the 1820’s, the Hudson’s Bay Company was exploring the area and established Ft Victoria in 1843.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The establishment of Fort Victoria, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, brought drastic change to the inhabitants of the area. They were offered employment by the company. Many of them moved to the area around the fort, disrupting traditional cultural and lifestyle activities.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In 1846, the Treaty of Washington divided the area into British and American territories. The closely related tribes of the Coast Salish fell under different political systems. The Canadian government created small, local reserves. The American government created large, consolidated reservations.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The first schools were established by missionaries. They began as day schools. By the late 1800s and into the 1900s, the schools were residential. Although the missionaries retained the management of the schools until the early 1900’s,the federal government was responsible for funding. <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Coast Salish are presently organized into tribal councils to more efficiently provide services to their members.  
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.  


<br>
The northwest coast of the continent was touched by Europeans and Americans differently than was the east coast. The first contact was with explorers and traders, not those who intended to settle the land. The white men came for different reasons – to map the coastline, to find a passage that would connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and for the lucrative fur trade. Contact was made almost as early as it was on the east coast. 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.


==== Brief History of the Interior Salish  ====
The coast of British Columbia is relatively narrow, 150 miles wide at the widest, and rises dramatically to a high desert plateau. The tribes in this area were more like the plains tribes further to the east although there were still influences from the coastal tribes.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “Interior Salish” is a designation for culturally related tribes and bands rather than the name of a specific tribe. The traditional lands occupied by the Interior Salish peoples are the Fraser River valley, the Pemberton valley, the Plateau, and the Okanagan valley. The territory overlaps the international boundary with the United States. The traditional area is large, occupied by several different tribes who, although culturally related, were often enemies.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Arrow Lakes tribe is no longer recognized by the Canadian government. The members of this tribe are primarily associated with the Colville Confederated Tribe in the state of Washington, United States.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Population estimates before first contact are unreliable. The diseases introduced to the native races by the Europeans traveled across the continent and afflicted these tribes before first contact. Smallpox outbreaks in the 1770’s greatly reduced the population, as did other outbreaks in the 1800’s.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Fur traders were the first European contacts with the Interior Salish tribes. Some of these tribes, however, already traded furs with the Coast Salish. Because of this trade, the fur traders who traveled overland found these people already using metal tools and other materials of European origin.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Native women often married fur traders. <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Interior Salish First Nations are currently organized into tribal councils to more efficiently provide services to their members.
First contact with the interior tribes was from fur traders who came overland. Notably Alexander McKenzie and Simon Fraser explored the area with the intent to establish the fur trade. Both men were instrumental in the establishment of trading posts.  
 
The people did not escape the diseases that decimated other tribes across the continent. The diseases spread rapidly from east to west. Some tribes experienced smallpox epidemics before first contact with white men. Although pre-contact estimates of populations are unreliable, all the populations were dramatically reduced, some by two-thirds or more.  
 
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. Two major changes occurred in the traditional lifestyle of the people: they were offered employment by those who established the posts, usually causing them to leave their villages, and were introduced to new and destructive influences. <br>  


== Tribes and Bands (First Nations) of British Columbia  ==
== Tribes and Bands (First Nations) of British Columbia  ==


Map depicting general distribution of tribes in British Columbia can be found at [http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/abed/map.htm British Columbia Ministry of Education]  
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast_Salish_peoples Coast Salish], live on the Lower Fraser River and southern Vancouver Island. <br>
 
[http://delrio.dcccd.edu/pnunley/HOMEPAGE/PARSONS/DREAM.HTM Nootka], live on the west coast of Vancouver Island. <br>
 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwakwaka%27wakw Kwakiut], live on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island and the mainland opposite.<br>


== Important Web Sites ==
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuxalk_Nation Bella Coola], live in and around town of Bella Coola .<br>
 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsimshian Tsimshiam], live on the Skeena and Nass Rivers. <br>
 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haida_people Haida], on Queen Charlotte Islands. <br>
 
<br>
 
*Map depicting general distribution of tribes in British Columbia can be found at [http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/abed/map.htm British Columbia Ministry of Education]
*British Columbia: Ministry of Native Affairs. ''The Aboriginal Peoples of British Columbia: A Profile''. {{FSC|502216|item|disp=FS Catalog book 970.1 Ab76a}} [http://www.worldcat.org/title/aboriginal-peoples-of-british-columbia-a-profile/oclc/865881470 WorldCat]
*Farrand, Livingston, Traditions of the Chilcotin Indians. New York: AMS Press. 1975. FS Library book 970.1 B63j v. 2 pt. 1
*Goddard, Pliny Earle, Indians of the Northwest Coast. New York: Cooper Square Pub. 1972. FS Library book 970.1 G541i or Film 1421588 item 9.
*Indians of British Columbia by Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. {{FSC|181427|item|disp=FS Library Book 970.1 D44b}} [http://www.worldcat.org/title/indians-of-british-columbia-an-historical-review/oclc/866032293 WorldCat]
*Jenness, Diamond. The Sekani Indians of British Columbia. {{FSC|681266|item|disp=FS Catalog book 970.3 Se47j}} [http://www.worldcat.org/title/sekani-indians-of-british-columbia/oclc/866517109 WorldCat]
*A listing of federally recognized tribes of British Columbia is found at [http://www.dickshovel.com/ca2.html Native Tribes of the United States and Canada]<br>
 
== Archives Libraries and Museums  ==
 
'''Glenbow Archive, Library, and Museum'''<br>
130 - 9 Avenue<br> SE Calgary, Alberta T2G 0P3<br> Reference Desk telephone: 403-268-4204 <br> Email: [http://www.glenbow.org/collections/archives/genealogy/ archives@glenbow.org]
*The Glenbow Archives and Library, has an excellent collection of resources for the study of Métis genealogy. Their sources cover predominantly [[First Nations of Manitoba|Manitoba]], [[First Nations of Saskatchewan|Saskatchewan]], [[First Nations of Alberta|Alberta]], and some parts of the [[First Nations of Northwest Territories|Northwest Territories]], [[First Nations of Ontario|Ontario]], and [[First Nations of British Columbia|British Columbia]].
*Sources pertain to people who were living in the Prairie Provinces in 1900 or earlier.
*Gail Morin database. The collection consists of a database of Metis ancestors. For each individual, dates and places of birth, baptism, marriage, death, and burial, and notes on sources are given if known. Using Ancestral Quest software, the data can be linked to show genealogical relationships in the form of pedigree charts and descendancy charts. The database is available only with the assistance of the Archives staff in the reading room of the Glenbow Archives. The database is fully searchable online.
----
'''Indian Residential School History & Dialogue Centre'''<br>
*[https://irshdc.ubc.ca/ Website]
 
== Important Websites ==


List of Indian Tribes in British Columbia and other locations in Canada and the United States, from the [http://www.library.ubc.ca/xwi7xwa/nations.htm University of British Columbia Library].  
List of Indian Tribes in British Columbia and other locations in Canada and the United States, from the [http://www.library.ubc.ca/xwi7xwa/nations.htm University of British Columbia Library].  
Line 23: Line 69:
A timeline of historic events is located at [http://www.cariboolinks.com/ctc/history.html British Columbia History]  
A timeline of historic events is located at [http://www.cariboolinks.com/ctc/history.html British Columbia History]  


<br>
== Records  ==


&nbsp; <br>
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. {{FSC|286988|item|disp=FS Library Film: 924503}} [http://www.worldcat.org/title/ahousat-indians-reserve-located-on-flores-island-off-the-west-coast-of-vancouver-island-british-columbia-canada/oclc/866692599 WorldCat]<br>
 
A detailed guide to researching aboriginal records is found at [http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-607.002.01.01.08-e.html Library and Archives Canada]
 
The 1877 Indian Reserve Commission Census of interior British Columbia can be found at [http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/avitus/001069-119.01-e.php?&item_id_nbr=3004&brws_s=&interval=20&&PHPSESSID=ed0lihnfoeduok4dahe19pud86 Library and Archives Canada]
 
''Indian Registers, 1951-1984'', Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, are maintained at the Library and Archives in Ottawa. Access to these records is restricted. Inquiries must be directed to the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs.
 
=== Vital Records  ===
 
"Indians as well as Chinese, were excluded from the Birth, Marriages and Deaths Act of 1872.In 1877 the exclusionary section was removed and in 1897 the Act was made applicable to "all races and nationalities, including all Indians and person of Indian blood, Chinese and Japanese. In1916 amended to allow the Registrar to "accept returns to be made monthly by the respective Indian Agents in the Province, those returns were made on special forms and kept separate and apart from the other returns. In 1943 the registration of Indian births, marriages and deaths was made mandatory; special forms and filing was continued. The special forms and separate filing were discontinued after 1956." <ref> Indian Registrations Guide. March 2011. by Royal British Columbia Museum </ref> <br>  
 
*Leavitt, Flora Hilda. The "Ahousat" Indians reserve located on Flores Island off the West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Includes birth, marriage and death records FS Library film 924503 itme 1


== References  ==
== References  ==
*Bill Russell, ''Records of the Federal Department of Indian Affairs at the National Archives<br>of Canada: A source for genealogical research'', The Ontario Genealogical Society, 1998
*Finding Aid (FA) 10-202: a guide to Indian bands and agencies in British Columbia, Library &amp; Archives of Canada, Canadian Genealogy Center , http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-607.002.01.01-e.html
*Canada Gazetteer Atlas, University of Chicago Press, 1980. Shows Reserves and smaller communities of First Nations.
*Schedule of Indians Bands, Reserves, and Settlements , Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Canada.
*Atlas of Indian Reserves and Settlements of Canada, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Canada<br>
<references />


==== Bibliography  ====
==== Bibliography  ====


[[Category:Indians_of_Canada]] [[Category:Indians_of_North_America]]
*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 <br>
 
{{British Columbia}}
 
[[Category:British_Columbia_First_Nations]][[Category:British Columbia, Canada]]

Latest revision as of 13:44, 3 April 2025

British Columbia Wiki Topics
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Beginning Research
Record Types
British Columbia Background
Cultural Groups
Local Research Resources

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

History[edit | edit source]

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 of tribes and bands. They were frequently enemies. Although there were differences in the degree to which the customs were practiced by each tribe or band, they all had social classes of royalty and/or nobles, commoners, and slaves. Each group practiced the custom of the potlatch. The potlatch was the custom of a man having a huge feast to which he invited others and gave away vast amounts of goods. There were positive and negative effects to this custom. In some tribes, slaves might be absorbed into the tribe while in others they were always slaves.

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 northwest coast of the continent was touched by Europeans and Americans differently than was the east coast. The first contact was with explorers and traders, not those who intended to settle the land. The white men came for different reasons – to map the coastline, to find a passage that would connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and for the lucrative fur trade. Contact was made almost as early as it was on the east coast. 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.

The coast of British Columbia is relatively narrow, 150 miles wide at the widest, and rises dramatically to a high desert plateau. The tribes in this area were more like the plains tribes further to the east although there were still influences from the coastal tribes.

First contact with the interior tribes was from fur traders who came overland. Notably Alexander McKenzie and Simon Fraser explored the area with the intent to establish the fur trade. Both men were instrumental in the establishment of trading posts.

The people did not escape the diseases that decimated other tribes across the continent. The diseases spread rapidly from east to west. Some tribes experienced smallpox epidemics before first contact with white men. Although pre-contact estimates of populations are unreliable, all the populations were dramatically reduced, some by two-thirds or more.

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. Two major changes occurred in the traditional lifestyle of the people: they were offered employment by those who established the posts, usually causing them to leave their villages, and were introduced to new and destructive influences.

Tribes and Bands (First Nations) of British Columbia[edit | edit source]

Coast Salish, live on the Lower Fraser River and southern Vancouver Island.

Nootka, live on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Kwakiut, live on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island and the mainland opposite.

Bella Coola, live in and around town of Bella Coola .

Tsimshiam, live on the Skeena and Nass Rivers.

Haida, on Queen Charlotte Islands.


Archives Libraries and Museums[edit | edit source]

Glenbow Archive, Library, and Museum
130 - 9 Avenue
SE Calgary, Alberta T2G 0P3
Reference Desk telephone: 403-268-4204
Email: archives@glenbow.org

  • The Glenbow Archives and Library, has an excellent collection of resources for the study of Métis genealogy. Their sources cover predominantly Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and some parts of the Northwest Territories, Ontario, and British Columbia.
  • Sources pertain to people who were living in the Prairie Provinces in 1900 or earlier.
  • Gail Morin database. The collection consists of a database of Metis ancestors. For each individual, dates and places of birth, baptism, marriage, death, and burial, and notes on sources are given if known. Using Ancestral Quest software, the data can be linked to show genealogical relationships in the form of pedigree charts and descendancy charts. The database is available only with the assistance of the Archives staff in the reading room of the Glenbow Archives. The database is fully searchable online.

Indian Residential School History & Dialogue Centre

Important Websites[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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. FS Library Film: 924503 WorldCat

A detailed guide to researching aboriginal records is found at Library and Archives Canada

The 1877 Indian Reserve Commission Census of interior British Columbia can be found at Library and Archives Canada

Indian Registers, 1951-1984, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, are maintained at the Library and Archives in Ottawa. Access to these records is restricted. Inquiries must be directed to the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs.

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

"Indians as well as Chinese, were excluded from the Birth, Marriages and Deaths Act of 1872.In 1877 the exclusionary section was removed and in 1897 the Act was made applicable to "all races and nationalities, including all Indians and person of Indian blood, Chinese and Japanese. In1916 amended to allow the Registrar to "accept returns to be made monthly by the respective Indian Agents in the Province, those returns were made on special forms and kept separate and apart from the other returns. In 1943 the registration of Indian births, marriages and deaths was made mandatory; special forms and filing was continued. The special forms and separate filing were discontinued after 1956." [1]

  • Leavitt, Flora Hilda. The "Ahousat" Indians reserve located on Flores Island off the West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Includes birth, marriage and death records FS Library film 924503 itme 1

References[edit | edit source]

  • Bill Russell, Records of the Federal Department of Indian Affairs at the National Archives
    of Canada: A source for genealogical research    , The Ontario Genealogical Society, 1998
  • Finding Aid (FA) 10-202: a guide to Indian bands and agencies in British Columbia, Library & Archives of Canada, Canadian Genealogy Center , http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-607.002.01.01-e.html
  • Canada Gazetteer Atlas, University of Chicago Press, 1980. Shows Reserves and smaller communities of First Nations.
  • Schedule of Indians Bands, Reserves, and Settlements , Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Canada.
  • Atlas of Indian Reserves and Settlements of Canada, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Canada
  1. ↑ Indian Registrations Guide. March 2011. by Royal British Columbia Museum

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

  • 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
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