1. The Colonial Era, 1849-1871 Gold, Wars, Systems and Gunboats

2. Colonial Polices + First Nations The Royal Proclamation from Douglas to Trutch

3. First Nations Voices  "...they are playing with the rocks, down at the beach at having a nice time...They're gathering these nice yellow rocks.”  ~ Elder Annie York, Nlaka'pamux (in reference to gold panners) (p. 81)

4. Introduction  The process of colonization in British Columbia was different from that of Eastern Canada.  The Royal Proclamation of 1763, which guided the relationship between Britain and First Nations in the east, was ignored by BC administrators.

5. Introduction  The Royal Proclamation of 1763 set out the guidelines for making treaties, but its principles were ignored in British Columbia.  Many of the issues confronting First Nations people in BC today have their origins in the policies of the colonial governments.

6. Colonial Precedents: The Royal Proclamation  In the “New World” (what the Americas were called when Europeans made landfall during the “age of exploration”) an vital document was created: The Royal Proclamation.

7. Colonial Precedents: The Royal Proclamation  The Royal Proclamation of 1763 by King George III following Great Britain's acquisition of French territory in North America after the end of the Seven Years' War, in which it forbade all settlers from settling past a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains.

8. The Royal Proclamation

9.  The Royal Proclamation was based on the premise that the lands belonged to First Nations people and that Britain and First Nations had a nation to nations relationship.

10. The Royal Proclamation  This meant that that there would be no land agreements until these two nations reached a negotiated settlement concerning the transfer of land ownership.  Yet in BC the Proclamation was mostly ignored.

11. Douglas + Colonial Policies  James Douglas was the colonial governor (of what would become the Colony of Vancouver Island and the Colony of BC) from 1851 to 1864.  As governor, Douglas had immense power of the lives and lands for First Nations.

12. Douglas + Colonial Policies  Governor Douglas was told by Earl Grey, the colonial secretary until 1852, to follow British colonial policy = recognize Aboriginal land and negotiate a treaty or settlement to purchase land required for settlement.

13. Douglas + Colonial Policies  In the early years, Douglas followed this instruction.  He negotiated was are known as the Douglas Treaties = between 1850 and 1854 fourteen treaties were signed covering approximately 927 km2 of land around Victoria, Saanich, Sooke, Nanaimo, and Port Hardy.

14. Douglas + Colonial Policies  In each treaty, First Nations land was surrendered in exchange for cash, clothing or blankets.  The chiefs and their decedents kept existing village sites and fields for their use, the “liberty to hunt over unoccupied lands,” and the right to “carry on their fisheries as formerly.”

15. The Douglas Treaties

16. Douglas + Colonial Policies  After 1854, Douglas did not negotiate any treaties due in part to the changing policy in London.  The new colonial secretary, Sir Edward Lytton, seemed intent on created model communities based on English country villages.

17. Douglas + Colonial Policies  Douglas agreed and began creating “Indian reserves” and developed a “system” that he believed would help the survival of First Nations in BC.  Reserves = land set aside by the Crown for First Nations; land owned by the Crown + the people are wards of the government.

18. Douglas + Colonial Policies  Under this Douglas system, First Nations would be given parcels of land reserved for them but owned by the Crown (Britain); they were encouraged to pre-empt the land (occupy it) like the new colonizers did.

19. Douglas + Colonial Policies  Douglas did fight to defend the land rights of First Nations, although it was from a colonial perspective based on the assumption that First nations would quickly become assimilated into mainstream settler society.

20. Douglas + Colonial Policies  Aboriginal people, according to Douglas, had the same rights as the new settlers/immigrants and he enacted laws that permitted them to claim the land and vote in elections.

21. Douglas + Colonial Policies  Some of his policies left a legacy that would define the relationship of the future province with First Nations people until the end of the 20 th Century.

22. Douglas + Colonial Policies  He ignored the important fact of Aboriginal title in his plans, leaving his successors with the impression that Aboriginal title did not exist.

23. Douglas + Colonial Policies  He also left the impression that the government had a policy of allotting only 10 acres for each family on reserves.  This stemmed from a speech he made just before he retired; he tried to clarify that they could be larger but the damaged had been done.

24. Trutch + Colonial Policies  Joseph Trutch succeeded Douglas as the administer of First Nation policies.  Trutch stated that the First Nations in BC had never owned the land which contradicted the Royal Proclamation and the intent of the Douglas Treaties.

25. Trutch + Colonial Policies  Such denials were consistent with the accepted beliefs and feelings of the British settlers = the land was “empty” and was free for the taking.  Such thoughts made ‘treaties irrelevant’ and reserves a ‘generous gift’ from the government!

26. Trutch + Colonial Policies  What the colony did was remove the right of First Nations people to pre- empt land and strictly set reserves at 10 acres a family.  Inequality became part of First Nations policy in what was to become the province of BC.

27. Reading Colonial Corres- pondence  Read aloud of the letter from Mr Nind (agent of the colonial government who recorded mining claims in Lytton) to the Honorable Colonial Secretary in London.  This primary (original) document illustrates the widespread attitude held by newcomers that the land which was not used for agriculture was empty and available for settlement.

28. Activity #1 = The Royal Proclamation: Primary Document  See the The Colonial Era, 1849-1971: Activities Instruction Handout.  Refer to Activity #1 for the questions and primary document.

29. Activity #2 = The Colonial Policies: Reading + Questions  See the The Colonial Era, 1849-1971: Activities Instruction Handout.  Refer to Activity #2 for the reading and questions.

31. From the Fur Trade to the Gold Rush The Role of First Nations

32. The American Invasion  When HBC’s Fort Vancouver fell into American hands, as per the Oregon Treaty of 1846, Fort Victoria was established on the southern tip of the colony of Vancouver Island.

33. The American Invasion  To stop the advancing Americans, the British parliament decided to create an official policy to establish sovereignty on the coast = Fort Victoria became the capital of the new Colony of Vancouver Island.

34. The Beginning of a Colony  The colonial office in London leased the HBC the colony for 10 years with the understanding that HBC would administer the colony in addition to its fur trading activities.  Richard Blanshard was the first governor of the colony followed by James Douglas.

35. The Beginning of a Colony  The Colony of Vancouver Island was established without negotiation or consultation with, or even consideration of, First Nations governments.  First Nations presence was irrelevant to the European intent of carving up and claiming North America.

36. The Gold Rush  Although furs continued to be the main economic resource for the colony, several First Nations recognized that Europeans were also keen to trade for mineral such as coal and gold.

37. The Gold Rush  Rather then continuing to trade with First Nations, such as the Kwakwa- ka’wakw for gold, the HBC found out the source and set up a mining operation and built mining camps at two new posts: Fort Rupert and Nanaimo.

38. The Gold Rush  When gold was discover on the Fraser River all hell broke loose.  Douglas was trying to keep the discovery of gold a secret because he knew about the destructive lawlessness when gold fever hit California in 1849.

39. The Gold Rush  The news leaked our despite his efforts in 1858 and thousands of miners (women and men) from around the world and other parts of North America, mostly Americans, flooded Fort Victoria begin the trek over the Salish Sea and up the Fraser River.

40. The Gold Rush  The Sto:lo Nation described these poorly provisioned gold miners in the Halq’emeylem language as Xwelitem = ‘hungry people’ or ‘starving people’.

41. The Gold Rush  In the decades that followed, the gold rush moved from Hope and Yale into the Cariboo and Barkerville.  When gold was exhausted in one area the miners moved on.

42. The Gold Rush Route The Fraser River

43. The Gold Rush  The miners frequently ignored traditional First Nations use of the rivers and valleys they passed through.  They often destroyed, if not disturbed, the environment showing no respect for First Nations.

44. The Gold Rush and the Laurier Memorial  In 1910, the Secwepemc, Nlaka’pamux, and Okanagan chiefs made a presentation to the Prime Minister of Canada, Sir Wilfred Laurier.  This document today is known as the Laurier Memorial.

45. Secwepemc, Nlaka’pamux, and Okanagan chiefs

46. The Gold Rush and the Laurier Memorial  The document traced the history of these Nations interactions with the newcomers (during and after the gold rush) and put forth their request for the recognition of Aboriginal rights.  Nothing was done as Laurier lost the election of 1911.

47. The Gold Rush  Some First Nations people (women and men) became miners too, working alongside miners from other countries; however, most foreigners opposed Aboriginal participation as they were viewed as competition for gold.

48. The Gold Rush  To prevent the lawlessness so feared from the gold rush, Douglas and the British government decreed in 1858 the formation of an additional colony on the mainland = it was named British Columbia with its headquarters in New Westminster.

49. The Gold Rush  The gold rush opened up both colonies to newcomers as never before.  This influx created transportation routes, the exploration of every part of the future province, roads were built for access (Cariboo Wagon Road) and injustices.

50. The Gold Rush  Chief Justice Matthew Begbie played an important role in administering colonial policies to ensure that British justice prevailed in the two colonies.  Begbie involved First Nations in the judicial decisions.

51. The Gold Rush = A New Colony  In 1866 the two colonies were joined (too costly to administer both) under the name British Columbia with the capital at Victoria.

52. First Map of BC

53. Activity #3 = The Gold Rush In BC: Questions + Map  See the The Colonial Era, 1849-1971: Activities Instruction Handout.  Refer to Activity #3 for the questions and the mapping information.

55. Gunboat “Justice” and the Chilcotin “War” The Enforcement of Colonial Laws on First Nations

56. Gunboat Justice?  To keep order in the colony, threats of violence and violence itself were regularly utilized.  The British Royal Navy, with its base in Esquimalt near Victoria, had “gunboats” which were stationed to be ready to enforce justice.

57. Gunboat Justice?  Gunboats were sailing ships and steamships armed with cannons, with names such as Forward, Grappler and Devastation.

58. Gunboat Justice?  Whenever a First Nations person committed a breach of British justice, there was a public outcry of “Send out the gunboats!” and they did.  The crime that usually warranted sending out the gunboats was murder.

59. Gunboat Justice?  Murder happened for several reasons: inter-tribal warfare, conflict between First Nations and new the settlers moving onto their traditional territories, and acts of protest.

60. Gunboat Justice?  Murder was regarded by the colonial settlers and authorities as a threat, a form of lawlessness that would grow if not stopped with force.  The British Royal Navy provided that force from 1849 – 1910 (when the Canadian Navy took over).

61. Gunboat Justice?  The typical scene was as followed:  The commander anchored the ship directly in front of the village  Attempted to arrest the person or persons  The mariners would take hostages if there was resistance

62. Gunboat Justice?  If that did not work they would threaten to destroy the village and fired the ships cannons to demonstrate their power  Finally, the whole village and their canoes would be blasted and destroyed  The suspects caught would be hanged

63. Gunboat Justice?  During the time that gunboats were used to implement “justice,” there were at least 14 major incidents.  The most disastrous was in 1864 when 9 villages of the Nuu-chah- nulth were destroyed along with 64 canoes.

64. Gunboat Justice?  This heavy handed form of “justice” left the targeted community with a sentence of their own = with their houses destroyed, they were forced to disperse, often to live with relatives in other villages.  Also, without canoes, they could not harvest food and other resources they needed for survival.

65. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  The Chilcotin War or the Bute Inlet Massacre is often forgotten in the history of BC.  Some say it was not a war but a massacre.

66. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  Whatever it is called, this resistance was the sad result of the melding of the social, political and economic realities of the colonial years.

67. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  It is an illustration of the assumptions about land ownership and First Nations beliefs and the tragic aftermath of the smallpox epidemic.

68. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  The events began with the discovery of gold in the Cariboo in 1858.  People began to flood into the region, one brought smallpox with him, setting off and epidemic in 1862.

69. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  The Tsilhqot’in Nation had little contact with Europeans before this as they did not participate in the fur trade but pursued their traditional lifestyle.  When more miners came they were tolerated and the Tsilhqot’in traded with them and acted as packed and guided for the newcomers.

70. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  The Tsilhqot’in were devastated by the smallpox epidemic in 1862 = hundreds died in weeks leaving villages virtually empty except for dead bodies.

71. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  Making matters worse, two businesspeople took the discarded blankets, which had wrapped the dead, and sold them, unwashed, to other Tsilhqot’in kindling another outbreak.  About half to two-thirds of the Tsilhqot’in population died in 1862 and 1863.

72. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  At the same time, another businessperson, Alfred Waddington, was permitted via a colonial license to build a wagon road in the Cariboo; First Nations were not consulted, informed, or compensated.

73. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  The events sparked the Chilcotin “War” in the spring of 1864.  The Tsilhqot’in asked for work in exchange for muskets and food; they were treated badly by the foreman, William Brewster.

74. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  After winter break, Brewster discovered that their store of flour had been taken from their Homathko River camp.  He questioned the Tsilhqot’in, took down their names and threatened them with death via smallpox, these acts frightened the people.

75. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  News of this encounter lead the Tsilhqot’in Chief, Lhatsas?in (Klatsassan), in 1864 to defend his territories and stop Europeans from crossing Tsilhqot’in land without paying compensation.

76. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  What followed, as per the colonial society’s viewpoint, were unbelievable acts of unprovoked and savage violence.  Yet, another perspective sees these actions as a series of strategic attacks conducted according to the practices of warfare.

77. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  Lhatsas?in and about 12 warriors carried out 3 attacks on the Homathko River construction camp; 13 men were killed including Brewster.  Two more attacks in Chilcotin country killed 5 British including one rancher.

78. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  European settlers saw this as unprovoked and unwarranted, while the Tsilhqot’in were resisting invasion, defending their land and culture.

79. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  Frederick Seymour, the new governor, felt compelled to take quick action and send out two military groups; Seymour went with them.  One troop went eastward from the coast via Bella Coola and the other went westward from the Cariboo.

80. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  From June to August nearly 200 colonial troops searched the men they called murders.  Finally, a message was sent to Chief Lhatsas?in to meet with Seymour without fear; the Tsilhqot’in believed they were going to negotiate a peace settlement.

81. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  Chief Lhatsas?in and 6 other Tsilhqot’in chiefs arrived at the meeting place unarmed.  Instead of being received as equals they were seized, handcuffed, and transported to Quesnel.

82. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  At the end of September 1864, they were sentence to death by hanging by Justice Begbie.  5 chiefs would hanged in Quesnel and the 6 th would be hanged in New Westminster.

83. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  The death toll was unbelievable: hundreds of Tsilhqot’in dead from disease, fifteen Europeans killed, and 6 chiefs hanged.  The Tsilhqot’in peoples remember even if we do not.

84. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  In 1993, Judge Anthony Sarich wrote a report commissioned by the government of British Columbia, of an inquiry into the relationship between the Aboriginal community in British Columbia and the justice system.

85. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  As a result of the recommendations in the report, the Attorney General apologized for the hanging of the Chilcotin chiefs and provided funding for an archaeological investigation to locate their graves.

86. The Chilcotin “War” or Massacre?  In 2014, the British Columbia government exonerated the Chilcotin leaders.  Premier Christy Clark stated, "We confirm without reservation that these six Tsilhqot'in chiefs are fully exonerated for any crime or wrongdoing."

87. Activity #4 = Gunboat Justice: Reading + Questions  See the The Colonial Era, 1849-1971: Activities Instruction Handout.  Refer to Activity #4 for the reading and questions.

88. Activity #5 = The Chilcotin War or Massacre? Inquiry  See the The Colonial Era, 1849-1971: Activities Instruction Handout.  Refer to Activity #5 for the inquiry questions.

89. Up Next: Canada Takes Control 1871-1911