First Nations of British Columbia, Second Edition, The
An Anthropological Survey
The First Nations of British Columbia, 2nd edition, is a concise and accessible overview of First Nations peoples, cultures, and issues in the province. Robert Muckle familiarizes readers with the history, diversity, and complexity of First Nations to provide a context for contemporary concerns and initiatives.
This fully revised edition
- Updates names, suggested readings, maps, and photographs
- Explains the current treaty negotiation process
- Provides highlights of agreements between First Nations and governments up to the present
- Details past and present government policies
- Identifies the territories of major groups in the province
- Gives information on populations, reserves, bands, and language groups
- Summarizes archaeological, ethnographic, historical, legal, and political issues.
The First Nations of British Columbia is an indispensable resource for teachers and students, and an excellent introduction for anyone interested in BC’s First Nations.
Maps and 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
Suggested Reading
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
Suggested Reading
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
Suggested Reading
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
Suggested Reading
Appendices
1 The First Nations of British Columbia
2 Major Ethnic Groups
3 Excerpts from the Royal Proclamation, 1763
4 Excerpts from the Laurier Memorial, 1910
5 Highlights from the Nisga’a Final Agreement
6 First Nations Involved in Treaty Negotiations, 2006
Glossary
Selected Bibliography
