Aron Gislason

Topic

uw-wu tst lhu ‘ul melq’ ut (Lest We Forget): Revitalizing Memories of Early Quw’utsun Interactions with the Royal Navy 1

Department of Anthropology

Date & location

• Thursday, March 28, 2024

• 2:45 P.M.

• David Turpin Building

• Room B215

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Brian Thom, Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria (Supervisor)

• Dr. John Lutz, Department of English, UVic (Non-Unit Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Sarah Morales, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Bruce Ravelli, Department of Sociology, UVic

   

Abstract

This thesis investigates the diplomacy by Quw'utsun leadership during the Royal Navy expeditions of 1853 and 1856 at a time when James Douglas’ was making first efforts to bring the Queen's Law to the Cowichan Valley. These expeditions stood out as largely peaceful diplomatic events compared to other interactions along the Northwest Coast, and the legal, social, political and cultural factors at play are examined in detail.

Consulting primary sources, oral history, and interviewing knowledgeable and experienced Qwu’utsun members, a nuanced reconstruction of these events with attention to the influence of Quw'utsun leaders (Tth’asiyetun and Loxe’) in dialogue with James Douglas is produced. The presence and leadership of these Quw’utsun men have largely been missed in previous analyses of these expeditions, in addition to the social and cultural changes that were occurring at that time.

These interactions are nested within the events of the greater area and beyond, connecting the Crimean War and American expansion into the local histories of Fort Victoria and the Quw'utsun peoples.