University of British Columbia Press
The Many Voyages of Arthur Wellington Clah
A Tsimshian Man on the Pacific Northwest Coast
Distributed for University of British Columbia Press
The Many Voyages of Arthur Wellington Clah
A Tsimshian Man on the Pacific Northwest Coast
First-hand accounts of Indigenous people’s encounters with colonialism are rare. A daily diary that extends over fifty years is unparalleled. Based on a transcription of Arthur Wellington Clah’s diaries, this book offers a riveting account of a Tsimshian man who moved in both colonial and Aboriginal worlds. From his birth in 1831 to his death in 1916, Clah witnessed profound change: the arrival of traders, missionaries, and miners, and the establishment of industrial fisheries, wage labour, and reserves. His many voyages – physical, cultural, and spiritual – provide an unprecedented Aboriginal perspective on colonial relationships on the Pacific Northwest Coast.
Table of Contents
Chronology
Introduction
1 The Life and Times of Arthur Wellington Clah
2 Keeping Account: The Diary
3 The Fur Trade Era
4 Chasing Gold
5 Food Production and Wage Labour
6 Land Matters
7 Becoming a Christian
8 Parading and Preaching
9 Clah and the Missionaries
10 The Changing World of Feasting
11 Ligeex, Chief of the Gispaxlo’ots
12 Old Age: The End of Voyaging
Conclusion
Appendices:
1 Clah’s Trade Records for 24 and 25 December 1865
2 Key People in Clah’s World
Notes
Bibliography
Index