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Canoes and Colony: The Dugout Canoe as a Site of Intercultural Engagement in the Colonial Context of British Columbia (1849-1871) by Stella Maris Wenstob B.A., University of Victoria, 2011 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Anthropology Stella Maris Wenstob, 2015 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee Canoes and Colony: The Dugout Canoe as a Site of Intercultural Engagement in the Colonial Context of British Columbia (1849-1871) by Stella Maris Wenstob B.A., University of Victoria, 2011 Supervisory Committee Dr. Ann B. Stahl, Supervisor (Department of Anthropology) Dr. Robert L. A. Hancock, Departmental Member (Department of Anthropology) iii Abstract Supervisory Committee Dr. Ann B. Stahl, Supervisor (Department of Anthropology) Dr. Robert L. A. Hancock, Departmental Member (Department of Anthropology) The cedar dugout canoe is iconically associated with First Nations peoples of the Pacific Northwest coast, but the vital contribution it made to the economic and social development of British Columbia is historically unrecognized. This beautifully designed and crafted oceangoing vessel, besides being a prized necessity to the maritime First Nations peoples, was an essential transportation link for European colonists. In speed, maneuverability, and carrying capacity it vied with any other seagoing technology of the time. The dugout canoe became an important site of engagement between First Nations peoples and settlers. European produced textual and visual records of the colonial period are examined to analyze the dugout canoe as a site of intercultural interaction with a focus upon the European representation. This research asks: Was the First Nations' dugout canoe essential to colonial development in British Columbia and, if so, were the First Nations acknowledged for this vital contribution? Analysis of primary archival resources (letters and journals), images (photographs, sketches and paintings) and colonial publications, such as the colonial dispatches, memoirs and newspaper accounts, demonstrate that indeed the dugout canoe and First Nations canoeists were essential to the development of the colony of British Columbia. However, these contributions were differentially acknowledged as the colony shifted iv from a fur trade-oriented operation to a settler-centric development that emphasized the alienation of First Nations’ land for settler use. By focusing research on the dugout canoe and its use and depiction by Europeans, connections between European colonists and First Nations canoeists, navigators and manufacturers are foregrounded. This focus brings together these two key historical players demonstrating their “entangled” nature (Thomas 1991:139) and breaking down “silences” and “trivializations” in history (Trouillot 1995:96), working to build an inclusive and connected history of colonial British Columbia. v Table of Contents Supervisory Committee ...................................................................................................... ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ v List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii Acknowledgments............................................................................................................. xii Dedication ........................................................................................................................ xiii Chapter 1: Boarding the Canoe ........................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Terminology .............................................................................................................. 2 1.3 Canoes and Colony ................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 2: Understanding the Waters: Anthropological Context ....................................... 8 2.1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 8 2.1.2 Situating Self ...................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Anthropological Approaches to the Colonial Context ............................................ 10 2.3 The “Other” ............................................................................................................. 15 2.4 Material Culture Approaches .................................................................................. 20 2.5 Othering through “Things” ..................................................................................... 29 2.6 The “Colonial Imagination” .................................................................................... 35 2.7 Thesis Questions ..................................................................................................... 37 Chapter 3: Paddling the Canoe: Methodology .................................................................. 40 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 40 3.2 Representation......................................................................................................... 41 3.3 Data ......................................................................................................................... 54 3.4 Variables to Consider .............................................................................................. 56 Chapter 4: Gaging the Currents: Historical Context ......................................................... 65 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 65 4.2 The Dugout Canoe .................................................................................................. 66 4.3 “History” as Defined by Europeans ........................................................................ 74 4.4 Summing Up ........................................................................................................... 92 Chapter 5: The Documentary Voyages: Sampling of Written Sources with Analyses .... 93 5.1 Documentary sources .............................................................................................. 93 5.2 Before 1849 ............................................................................................................. 93 5.3 1849 to 1858: The Early Colonial Period ............................................................... 99 5.4 1858 to 1871: The Mid-Colonial Period ............................................................... 113 5.5 Post 1871: The Confederation Period ................................................................... 146 5.6 Summary Thoughts ............................................................................................... 152 Chapter 6: The Visual Voyages: Sampling of Visual Sources with Analyses ............... 153 6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 153 6.2 Before 1849 ........................................................................................................... 155 6.3 1849 to 1858: The Early Colonial Period ............................................................. 163 6.4 1858 to 1871: The Mid-Colonial Period ............................................................... 167 vi 6.5 Post 1871: The Confederation Period ................................................................... 184 Chapter 7: Pulling Together: Comparative Analysis ...................................................... 222 7.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 222 7.2 Separate Trends ..................................................................................................... 223 7.3 Corroborative Trends ............................................................................................ 229 7.4 Summing Up ......................................................................................................... 232 Chapter 8: Going Ashore ................................................................................................ 235 8.1 Summary Conclusions .......................................................................................... 235 8.2 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 241 8.3 Further Research ................................................................................................... 242 8.4 Concluding Thoughts ............................................................................................ 244 Works Cited 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