“IT’S NICE TO SEE OLD FRIENDS AGAIN”: FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS, ‘ADVICE’, AND ARCHIVAL POWER IN A NORTHERN COAST SALISH COMMUNITY by Adam Arthur Solomonian B.A., Carleton University 2006 M.A., The University of British Columbia 2009 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Anthropology) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) September 2018 © Adam Arthur Solomonian, 2018 The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: “It’s Nice to See Old Friends Again”: Family Photographs, ‘Advice’, and Archival Power in a Northern Coast Salish Community submitted by Adam Solomonian in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology Examining Committee: Dr. Jennifer Kramer Supervisor Dr. Patrick Moore Supervisory Committee Member Dr. John Barker Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Paige Raibmon University Examiner Dr. Michael Blake University Examiner ii Abstract Photography has a rich and complex past and present among the shíshálh Coast Salish, a self- governing Indigenous Nation on British Columbia’s southern Northwest Coast. This dissertation explores the multiple ways in which photography intersects with contemporary shíshálh (pronounced sheesh-ath) lives. I argue that, far from being an imposed colonial technology, photography is localized in unique, transformative ways. Drawing on James L. Hevia’s (2009) notion of the “photography complex,” I examine the key ways through which photography is culturally active and activated. This begins with locating photography within the complex that is “family” in shíshálh territory. I then move to a discussion of the relationship between photography and cultural memory—as both oral history-telling and public performance. Next, I consider how photographs operate as contact zones between shíshálh peoples and others. Finally, I explore the ways through which photographs are transformed by, in particular, digital preservation and its relationship to more analogue, familial forms of photographic sociality. iii Lay Summary This dissertation explores the relationship between culture and photography amongst the shíshálh Nation, a Coast Salish Indigenous community on the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. The central argument of this dissertation is that photography is connected to, and shaped by, particulars of place, history, and memory—as well as forces of politics and power— what historian James L. Hevia (2009) refers to as the “photography complex.” A primary contribution of this research is its attention to family photograph collections, an often-overlooked aspect of Indigenous visual-material culture. This dissertation is the product of 18 months of participant observation fieldwork in the shíshálh community, as well as extensive scholarly source and archival research. The primary focus of fieldwork was a community-driven photograph digitization project—The shíshálh Nation Historical Photograph Digitization and Research Project—that digitized over 2000 photographs and produced 30 hours of recorded oral narratives for community control and use. iv Preface This dissertation is an original intellectual product of the author, Adam Arthur Solomonian. The fieldwork reported herein was covered by UBC Ethics Certificate number H11-01234 and conducted with the permission of the shíshálh Nation Government. Funding for this dissertation was provided by the University of British Columbia and the Intellectual Property Issues in Cultural Heritage (IPinCH) project. v Table of Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... iii Lay Summary ............................................................................................................................ iv Preface ........................................................................................................................................ v Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ ix Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................................... xi Dedication ................................................................................................................................ xii Chapter One: Introduction and Methodology .............................................................................. 1 The Isthmus and I ............................................................................................................ 5 The Anthropology of Photography: A Theoretical Overview as It Pertains to My Current Research ........................................................................................................... 11 Methodology ................................................................................................................. 21 Photo-Elicitation Interviews ............................................................................... 24 The Interview Process ........................................................................................ 28 Participant Observation ...................................................................................... 31 Archival Research .............................................................................................. 32 Chapter Summaries and Layout of Dissertation ............................................................. 33 Chapter Two: Ethnographic and Historical Context................................................................... 36 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 36 Landscape and Setting ................................................................................................... 38 Ancestral Territory ............................................................................................. 40 Historical and Contemporary Outsider Sources ............................................................. 44 Pre-Contact shíshálh Society and the Early Contact Period ............................................ 49 The Arrival of Missionaries and Residential School ...................................................... 51 The Arrival of Settlers and Industry ............................................................................... 55 Self-Government, Economic Development, and Cultural Sovereignty ........................... 57 The Sechelt Act, 1986 ........................................................................................ 57 Treaty Negotiations and the Advancement of Cultural Heritage Protocols ............................................................................................................ 59 The tems swiya Museum and Cultural Centre ..................................................... 63 The tems swiya Museum Photograph Archive .................................................... 65 vi Photography and Indigenous Peoples on the Northwest Coast—Ethnographic Considerations ............................................................................................................... 70 Genres of shíshálh Photography .................................................................................... 76 Professional Firms ............................................................................................. 78 Regional/Amateur Images .................................................................................. 81 Studio Portraits .................................................................................................. 83 Family Snapshots ............................................................................................... 90 Reflection on Categories .................................................................................... 95 Conclusion—Towards a shíshálh Photography Complex ............................................... 95 Chapter Three: Family and Photography in shíshálh Territory .................................................. 98 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 98 Theorizing the Coast Salish Family ............................................................................. 101 Family and Relatedness in the shíshálh World ............................................................. 106 Identities .......................................................................................................... 111 Family Names and Structures........................................................................... 112 shíshálh Family Photographs ....................................................................................... 119 Origins ............................................................................................................. 121 Making Collections .......................................................................................... 122 shíshálh Families and Archival Power ......................................................................... 129 Conclusion—The