“OUTOFMANYKINDREDSANDTONGUES”: RACIALIDENTITYANDRIGHTSACTIVISMINVANCOUVER,1919Ͳ1939 by LiLynnWan Submittedinpartialfulfilmentoftherequirements forthedegreeofDoctorofPhilosophy at DalhousieUniversity Halifax,NovaScotia April2011 ©CopyrightbyLiLynnWan,2011 DALHOUSIEUNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTOFHISTORY TheundersignedherebycertifythattheyhavereadandrecommendtotheFacultyof GraduateStudiesforacceptanceathesisentitled““OUTOFMANYKINDREDSAND TONGUES”:RACIALIDENTITYANDRIGHTSACTIVISMINVANCOUVER,1919Ͳ1939”by LiLynnWaninpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthedegreeofDoctorof Philosophy. Dated: April14,2011 ExternalExaminer: _________________________________ ResearchSupervisor: _________________________________ ExaminingCommittee: _________________________________ _________________________________ DepartmentalRepresentative:_________________________________ ii DALHOUSIEUNIVERSITY DATE: April14,2011 AUTHOR: LiLynnWan TITLE: “OUTOFMANYKINDREDSANDTONGUES”:RACIALIDENTITYANDRIGHTS ACTIVISMINVANCOUVER,1919Ͳ1939 DEPARTMENTORSCHOOL: DepartmentofHistory DEGREE: PhD CONVOCATION: October YEAR: 2011 PermissionisherewithgrantedtoDalhousieUniversitytocirculateandtohavecopied for nonͲcommercial purposes, at its discretion, the above title upon the request of individualsorinstitutions.Iunderstandthatmythesiswillbeelectronicallyavailableto thepublic. The author reserves other publication rights, and neither the thesis nor extensive extractsfromitmaybeprintedorotherwisereproducedwithouttheauthor’swritten permission. The authorattests that permission has been obtained forthe use ofany copyrighted material appearing in the thesis (other than the brief excerpts requiring only proper acknowledgementinscholarlywriting),andthatallsuchuseisclearlyacknowledged. _______________________________ SignatureofAuthor iii TableofContents: Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………vi ListofAbbreviationsUsed..…………………………………………………………………………………………..vii Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………………………………..viii Chapter1:Introduction…………………………………………………………………….………………..............1 Historiography………………………………………………………………………………………11 TheRaceLiterature…………………………………………………………………………..….12 Intersection………………………………………………………………………………………..…22 TheRightsLiterature…………………………………………………………………………….23 ANoteonSources……………………………………..…….……………………………………33 Organization…………………………………………………………………………………………36 Chapter2:“ALongDramaofUntamableCourage,Resolution, Heroism,RepellentCrueltyandRomance”:ThePioneer MythologyasNationalistNarrative.……………………………………………………….…....….40 DeconstructingthePioneerMythology………………………………………….........45 Chapter3:“ByVirtueoftheAccidentofBirth”:Municipal PoliticsinVancouver.............................................................................................58 TheKlaninVancouver…………………………………………………………………………..59 TheNativeSonsandDaughtersofBritishColumbia………………………….…..65 TheHierarchyofWhiteness…………………………………………………………………..71 AntiͲOrientalAgitationinthe1920s………………………………………………….…..74 EconomicReforminthe1930s………………………………………………………….…..84 Chapter4:“ANationofArtists”:IndigenousArtandImagery asParadoxicalSitesofRacialization……………………………………..…………………..……..89 BritishColumbiaIndianArtsandCraftsRevival…………………………………….94 “TheRemarkableGiftsofFrancoisBaptiste”……………………………………….105 Chapter5:“BeforetheWhitemansCame”:IndigenousPolitics inVancouver……………………………………………………………………………………………….….119 TheLegendofQoitchetahl,theSerpentSlayerofSquamish………………..122 TheBritishColumbiaLandQuestion…………………………………………………….126 TheVillageofSnauq/KitsilanoIndianReserve#6………………………………133 ConflatingRaceandPlace…………………………………………………………………..149 iv Chapter6:“Raven’sdoctrinewas‘Theendjustifiesthemeans’”: TheGoldenJubileeCelebrationsasanExhibitionofRacial Difference………………………………………………………………………..……………………...…….165 ExhibitingtheIndian……………………………………………………………………………168 TheOrientalSpectacle………………………………………………………………………..176 Chapter7:Huáqiáo:ThePoliticsofEthnicityinVancouver….........................................186 FromGoldMountaintotheSlumsofChinatown…………………………………188 ‘ChineseCanadian’(asdistinctfrom‘ChineseinCanada’)…………………..194 “LittleFlower[s]ofChinaOvertheSeas”………………………………………….…197 Chapter8:“WithintheFourSeas,AllareBrothers”:Ethnicity, Indigenism,andtheInterwarRhetoricofRights................................................207 TheRightsofEthnicity…………………………………………………………………………209 TheRightsofIndigenism……………………………………………………………………..225 TheRightsofHumanity……………………………………………………………………….236 Chapter9:“KeepCanadaCanadian”:AGrainofSalt.....................................................254 Chinatown’sWhiteWaitresses……………………………………………………………255 PoliticalSolidarityandWomen’sRights………………………………………………265 Chapter10:Conclusion………...........................................................................................275 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…283 v Abstract Thisdissertationexamines“race”politicsinVancouverduringtheinterwar periodasoneoriginofhumanrightsactivism.RaceͲbasedrightsactivismisa fundamentalelementofthemodernhumanrightsmovementandhumanrights consciousnessinCanada.TherhetoricofraceͲbasedrightswasproblematicfromits inceptionbecauseactivistsassertedequalityrightsbasedonanassumptionofracial difference–aparadoxthatpersistsinhumanrightsrhetorictoday.Whilethelate interwarperiodmarkstheoriginofmodernrightsrhetoric,italsorevealsaparallel turningpointinthehistoryof“race.”Theracialcategoriesof“Oriental”and“Indian” originatedasdiscursivetoolsofcolonialoppression.Butduringtheinterwarperiod, thesecategorieswerebeingredefinedbyactiviststoconnoteapoliticalidentity,to advocateforrightsandprivilegeswithintheCanadiannation.Whilemanyscholars interpretthedrivingforcebehindtheCanadian“rightsrevolution”asaresponsetothe workofcivillibertariansandtheeventsoftheSecondWorldWar,Iarguethatchanging interpretationsofrightswerealsoaresultofactivismfromwithinracialized communities. InterwarVancouverwasacentralsiteforCanadian“race”politics.Thistypeof politicalactivismmanifestedinresponsetoarangeofdifferentevents,includinga persistent“WhiteCanada”movement;theIndianArtsandCraftsrevival;conflictover thesaleoftheKitsilanoReservation;the1936GoldenJubileecelebrations;sustained antiͲOrientallegislation;andapolicecampaignto“cleanup”Chinatown.Atthesame time,economistsandintellectualsinVancouverwerebeginningtorecognizethe importanceofinternationalrelationswithPacificRimcountriestoboththeprovincial andnationaleconomies.When“whiteness”wasarticulatedbybusinessmenand politiciansinCityHall,itwasmostoftenusedasameansofdefendinglocalprivileges.In contrast,the“Indian”and“Oriental”identitiesthatwereconstructedbyactivistsinthis periodwereinfluencedbytransnationalnotionsofhumanrightsandequality.Theracial identitiesthatwereformedinthislocalcontexthadanenduringinfluenceonthe nationaldebatesandstrategiesconcerningrightsthatfollowed. vi ListofAbbreviationsUsed B.C.H.A. BritishColumbiaHistoricalAssociation C.B.A. ChineseBenevolentAssociation C.I.I.A. CanadianInstituteofInternationalAffairs I.P.R. InstituteofPacificRelations N.G.C. NationalGalleryofCanada vii Acknowledgements WithMuchAppreciation: ShirleyTillotson,ToddMcCallum,JerryBannister,JohnReid,JohnLutz,HowardRamos, PhilZachernuk;TinaJonesandValeriePeck;thestaffoftheVancouverCityArchives, theBritishColumbiaProvincialArchives,andtheUniversityofBritishColumbiaArchives; andtheSocialSciencesandHumanitiesResearchCouncilofCanada. WithLoveandAffection: KahYinandChengHootKhoo,EricNellis,CynthiaRussell,BradandKristiWelch,Becky MoyͲBehre,AmberFarrell,VanessaNeil,AmandaMiller,SiobhanMcCollum,Bob Harding,KeithMercer,RogerMarsters,EmilyBurton,ThaneEhler,RuthannLee,Sheila Burke,UrsulaSnyder,JosephineLoo,JoelNickels,DevasiaandSueSebastian,Daveand JunkoYoung,DaveandLauraBaldwin,KateCarson,TheTaylors,TheWilliams’,Ben,the Chongs,andallthekids! WithEverything: MomandDad,and,ofcourse,Lucas. viii Chapter1~Introduction Citizenshipregimesincludehistoricallyspecificconceptionsofrights.InCanada inthe1940s,theideaofhumanrightsemergedasanewandcentralelementof citizenship.IntheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRightsof1948andinthenewhuman rightslawsofthesucceedingdecades,racialidentitiesplayedakeyroleinnaming rights.Theoriginsofthoseracialidentitiesareapartofthehistoryofhumanrightsin Canada.Muchofthecurrentliteratureinthathistorytakesracialidentitiesas commonsensegivens.Inthisthesis,however,Iwillarguethattheracialidentitiesthat definedtheconceptualframeworkofhumanrightsinthe1940sand1950swerefirst producedaspoliticaltoolsintheinterwaryears.Inthisformativeperiodforhuman rightsconcepts,BritishColumbia’shistoryandVancouver’sinparticularwerecentral. Here,activists,communityleaders,reformers,andintellectualsestablishedracial identitiesthatlaterstructuredthehumanrightsmovement,inanuneven,sporadic,and contradictoryfashion. Vancouverbetween1919and1939wasabreedinggroundfor“race,”rights, citizenship,andimmigrationpolitics.Itsgeographiclocation,demographicmakeͲup, economicvulnerabilityduringtheDepression,andpoliticalinfluenceinOttawamadeits racialculturebothdistinctiveandnationallysignificant.Threeinterconnectedprocesses ofracializationwereimportant.First,thisperiodsawtheassertionofanewvocabulary of“whiteness”asaracialcategory.Second,achangeoccurredintheway“nonͲwhite” 1 racialcategorieswerepoliticizedintheseyears,mostnotablyintermsof“Chinese”and “Indian.”Andfinally,inthisperiodaconceptualdistinctionwasbeingmadebetween ethnicity,ontheonehand,andindigenismontheother.1Thesethreeprocessesenabled andproduceddiscoursesof“race”thatwerepremisedontheassertionofrights,and