The First Nations of British Columbia : an anthropological survey / Robert J. Muckle.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Muckle, Robert James.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (160 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Vancouver : UBC Press, c1998.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In British Columbia there is general agreement that “First Nations” refers to groups of people who can trace their ancestry to the populations which occupied the land prior to the arrival of Europeans and Americans in the late 1700s. The First Nations of British Columbia presents a concise and accessible overview of First Nations’ peoples, cultures, and issues in the province. Its primary purpose is to provide an understanding of today’s pertinent concerns and initiatives by familiarizing readers with the history, diversity, and complexity of First Nations. It does so from an anthropological perspective from which crucial archaeological ethnographic, historic, and legal-political issues are explored. This wide-ranging book begins with a description of the first Nations today, including information on populations, settlements, territories, bands, and other affiliations. The following sections focus on prehistory, traditional lifeways and cultural change over the past few hundred years. The impact of the fur trade, gold rushes, European and American settlement, missionaries, residential schools, and governments are all covered. Assertions of aboriginal rights and the current treaty negotiation process are also discussed. The First Nations of British Columbia is an indispensable resource for both educators and students, and an excellent introduction for anyone interested in the peoples and issues of B.C.’s First Nations.

Contents:

Maps of Illustrations

Preface to the First Edition

Preface to the Second Edition

PART 1 FIRST NATIONS DEFINED

What Is a First Nation?

Two Kinds of First Nations People

Population, Reserves, Settlements, and Lands

Bands, Ethnic Groups, Tribal Councils, and Other Affiliations

PART 2 ARCHAEOLOGY AND FIRST PEOPLES

First Nations and Archaeological Perceptions of the Past

The Nature of Archaeological Research in British Columbia

Early Migrations through British Columbia

Here to Stay

Settling Down

Prominent Sites

Tracing Ancestry

PART 3 ETHNOLOGY AND TRADITIONAL LIFEWAYS

Anthropology and Oral Tradition

Traditional Culture Areas of British Columbia

Languages

Population

Settlement Patterns

Diet

Technology

Social Organization

Myths, Spirits, and Shamans

Health and Healing

Art

The Potlatch and Other Important Ceremonies

Trade, Slavery, and Warfare

PART 4 FIRST NATIONS IN RECENT AND CONTEMPORARY TIMES

Population Loss

The Impact of the Fur Trade

The Impact of the Gold Rushes

The Impact of Non-Native Settlement

Missionaries and Residential Schools

First Nations and Wage Labour

Government Relations with First Nations

Assertions of Aboriginal Rights

Negotiations in the 1990s and Early Twenty-First Century

Economic and Cultural Initiatives

Asserting Identity through Art

Outstanding Issues

APPENDICES

1. The First Nations of British Columbia

2 Major Ethic Groups

3 Excerpts from the Royal Proclamation, 1763

Excerpts from the Laurier Memorial, 1910

Highlights from the Nisga'a Final Agreement, 2000

First Nations Involved in Treaty Negotiations, 2006

Glossary

Select Bibliography.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Other Format:

Print version: Muckle, Robert James. The First Nations of British Columbia

ISBN:

9786613131409

9781283131407

1283131404

9780774852340

0774852348

9780585320236

0585320233

OCLC:

647562358