About these Collections
Below, we have aimed to compile an exhaustive list of RBSC materials related to Indigenous peoples. However, this is an ongoing project and new materials will frequently be added. Please use this list in combination with the RBSC database for access to all relevant archival material.
Image Source: Frank, Leonard, 1870-1944. (1927). Totem poles, Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C. Uno Langmann Family Collection of B.C., UL_1633_0041. Photographs. [P]. http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0361734
Archival Collections
- Adrien Morice fonds (1891-1930)This fonds contains the autobiography of Father A.G. Morice, a priest who served as a missionary to the Chilcotin Nation in the mid-1800s. The fonds also contains correspondence which relates to Morice's writings around Indigenous peoples' belief systems.
- Alan Haig-Brown fondsAlan Haig-Brown was born in Campbell River, British Columbia. In his teens, he worked as a deck-hand and was later taught to seine fish by his father-in-law Herb Assu of Quadra Island. As a young man, he worked on commercial fishing boats and coastal freighters. He seined salmon and herring until 1973, and then served for eleven years as coordinator of First Nations education in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. He also taught in the Chilcotin and Shuswap First Nations. Haig-Brown photographs and writes about commercial boats and their crews, from tugs to fishing boats, in British Columbia and internationally. Records in the fonds include Haig-Brown's photographs and writing. One file, entitled 'HAIDA', File 01-09, contains handwritten and typewritten drafts of "The Haida Boats" with annotations, as well as a handwritten transcription of the Florence Davidson interview cassette.
- Alice Ravenhill fonds (1939-1954)Alice Ravenhill was a founding member of the Society for the Furtherance of B.C. Indian Arts and Crafts and was actively involved in women's rights issues and Indigenous peoples' rights issues in British Columbia in the early 20th century.
This fonds contains materials related to various organizations related to Indigenous peoples in which Ravenhill participated. Some of these organizations include the B.C. Indian Arts and Welfare Society; the Indian Affairs Branch of the Department of Mines and Resources; and the Indian and Eskimo Committee of the Canadian Handicrafts Guild.
Other materials related to Alice Ravenhill's involvement with Indigenous peoples may be found in the vertical files section of this guide. - Angus Elias fonds (1959-1966)Angus Elias was an Inuit trapper living on Banks Island in the Northwest Territories. The fonds consists of a photocopied diary recording personal experience, climatic and geographical conditions, and observations about nature written while Elias worked as a trapper on Banks Island, 1959-1966.
- Annie Henderson fonds (1823-1934)This fonds contains notes made by Annie Henderson in the course of the scholarly work she did in relation to "native policies" of the British and American governments in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Records reflect both British and American colonial practices and how the two compare.
- Anthony Gargrave fonds, 1942-1966This fonds contains some material relevant to the NDP's "Indian Affairs" initiatives, including two folders relevant to Indigenous peoples, which can be found by searching the fonds for "Indian Affairs."
- Ben Alexander fonds (1931-1970)Ben Alexander was a community leader of the Neskonlith First Nation. The fonds consists of correspondence and legal documentation sent between Ben Alexander and the office of Indian Agent, later the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. The fonds reflects official business such as land claims, financial transactions, and grievances and also deals with Alexander's personal business with the tribe.
- Bob Williams fonds (1940-2011)• Robert (Bob) Arthur Williams was born in East Vancouver, British Columbia in 1933. He attended Britannia High School in Vancouver, and then received his Bachelors of Arts in Economics and Geography from the University of British Columbia in 1955. He returned to U.B.C. where he earned his Masters of Sciences in Community and Regional Planning In 1958. In 1972 Dave Barrett appointed Williams as the Minister of Forest, Lands, and Water Resources. During this time, he helped to establish the Environment and Land Use Committee where he worked to greatly expand park area in British Columbia, and change the pricing of natural resources. He also helped establish the Burns Lake Native Development Corporation, an umbrella organization owned by 6 local First Nations: Ts’il Kaz Koh First Nation (Burns Lake Band), Lake Babine Nation, Skin Tyee Band, Cheslatta Carrier Nation, Nee Tahi Buhn Band, and Wet’suwet’en First Nation. Record types include correspondence, reports, and photographs. To find records related to Burns Lake, search within the fonds by keyword for ‘Burns Lake’. In addition, the fonds includes correspondence with the Department of Indian Affairs, which can be found by searching for ‘Indian’ as a keyword.
- Canadian Tribute to Human Rights fonds (1990-2009)This fonds consists of correspondence between George Wilkes, a member of the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights board, and representatives from 26 of the First Nations whose languages were represented on the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights monument. Each file in the fonds is related to a different language group. The following 26 language groups are represented in the fonds: Kainai; Tusacarona; Oneida; Saulteaux; Tsuu Tina; Tse’kene; Nuxalk; Odawa; Nootka; Gitksan; Seneca; Innu/Montagnais; Siksika; Michif; Lakota; Nacoda; Plains Cree; Tagish; Beaver/Dunne-za; Dene Dogrib; Chilcotin; Cowichan; Algonquin; James Bay Cree; Atikamekw; and Wet’suwet’en.
- Carol Swayze fonds (1965-1987)In writing a biography of Thomas Berger, Carol Swayze amassed research relevant to the kinds of court cases for which Berger was most well-known, including those relevant to the land rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada. This fonds contains substantial material related to the Department of Indian Affairs & Northern Development as well as evidence related to Berger's involvement with Indigenous communities.
Due to the time period in which these materials were created, this fonds contains outdated terminology. Records related to Indigenous peoples in this fonds can be found by searching the PDF finding aid for the word "Indian." - Delgamuukw v. British Columbia Exhibit Archive (1984-1997)This collection contains materials relevant to Indigenous land rights issues in Canada and court cases and legal battles over land rights. The collection consists of materials that were used as exhibits during the trial and reflects the specifics of how land rights trials are conducted and how certain materials were received and judged by the courts.
See the Featured Collections on the Getting Started page of this research guide for more information about the trial. - Duncan Stacey fonds (1891-2012)As a consultant for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Stacey was regularly involved in legal cases related to the fishing rights of Indigenous peoples. Materials in this fonds relevant to Indigenous peoples' fishing rights can be found by searching the finding aid for the terms "First Nations," "Indian," and "Native."
- Federation of Mountain Clubs of British Columbia fondsThe Lands and Parks series contains records related to the FMCBC's efforts to advocate for the creation and maintenance of wilderness areas for public recreational use. It contains records arising from collaboration with the Lillooet Nation (including files 10-03 to 10-16 and 54-08 to 55-05), Squamish Nation (including files 56-02 to 56-06), and several other First Nations located in B.C.
- Fisheries Association of British Columbia fonds (1938-1975)This fonds consists of materials related to the Fisheries Association of British Columbia, including their relationship with the Native Brotherhood and Indigenous peoples' fishing rights.
Materials relevant to Indigenous peoples' fishing rights can be found by searching the PDF finding aid for the term "Native." - Fishing Vessel Owners Association fonds (1935-1998)This fonds contains records related to Indigenous peoples' fishing rights.
The First Nations series includes reports and correspondence concerning Indigenous peoples rights in relation to salmon and other fish, land, and the Aboriginal Peoples Foods Fisheries. The fonds includes material from the Minister of Indian Affairs, Northern Development and additional groups and individuals involved with the fishing industry's portion of the Nisga'a's land claims, the Sparrow Case, band by-laws and Fraser River salmon. The series consists of only one folder, but more material relevant to Indigenous peoples' fishing rights can be found by searching the finding aid for "First Nations" or "Indigenous." - Gary Lauk fonds, 1968-1985The fonds includes records created by the NDP in relation to its Department of Indian Affairs. The records of Gary Lauk and his Executive Assistants, Eric Green and Albert Mellul, were created in the course of the operations of the Minister's Office during the New Democratic Party (NDP) administration of government. The majority of the material pertains to Lauk's term of office as the Minister of Economic Development (1973-75), Minister of Mines and Petroleum Resources (October - December, 1975), and as Education Critic (1976-1982). Materials relevant to Indigenous peoples can be found by searching the PDF finding aid for the term "Indian."
- George North fonds (1910-1975)George North (1920-1990) was editor of The Fisherman, the newspaper of the United Fisherman and Alllied Workers Union (UFAWU), for twenty-two years from 1946 until 1968, and also worked on the Native Voice, organ of the Native Brotherhood of British Columbia. North taught in Prince George in the early 1970s and was interested in the history of the Labour Movement in the local fishing industry.
Materials relevant to the Native Voice publication and the Native Brotherhood of B.C. can be found by searching the PDF finding aid for the term "Native." - Greenpeace Canada fondsThe Rainforest Solutions Project series, especially its First Nations agreements subseries, includes agreements (made to promote conservation and alternatives to industrial logging on the Central and North Coasts and Haida Gwaii) between coastal First Nations with either the Rainforest Solutions Project or the Provincial Government.
The Maps series includes maps concerning the state of forests in coastal British Columbia, conservation area priorities for First Nations and environmental groups, forest development plans, and maps produced as part of the Central and North Coasts Land and Resource Management Plans. Maps concern the following First Nations' territories: Central Coast Oweekeno, Haisla, Gitga'at, Heiltsuk, Kitasoo, Xaixais, Wuikinuxv, and Nuxalk. Maps are located in the following files: 122-05 to -09; 126-02 to -03; 129-05; 131-01 to -02; 132-03; 134-01 to 135-01; 137-01 to 02; 138-02 to -04; 140-01 to -03, 140-07).
The Multimedia series includes several VHSes made by and/or featuring First Nations peoples, including: SPVT-040 to 044, 048, and 052 to 055 featuring the Nuxalk Nation and environmentalists protecting the Great Bear Rainforest; SPVT-120 "Gitga'ata Spring Harvest," co-produced by the Gitga'at Nation and Coasts Under Stress; and SPVT-188 to 189, "VHS tape with presentation in Port Alberni, which includes speeches by First Nations Nov 3/ 2007." - H.B. Barnett fonds, 1935-1940H.G. Barnett was a professor of Anthropology at the University of Oregon. This fonds consists of field research material for the Coast Salish (1935-36) and Tsimshian (1940) First Nations. Results of his field research among the Coast Salish can be found in ("The Coast Salish of Canada", American Anthrozolo7ist, vol. 40, 1938, pp. 118-141), ("Culture Element Distributions : IX - Gulf of George Salish", University of California Publications in Anthrorological Records, vol. 1, no . 5, 1939 and The Coast Salish of British Columbia, University of Oregon, 1955).
- H. Bullock-Webster fonds (1874-1880)Harry Bullock-Webster was the British Columbia correspondent for The Graphic, a British periodical. Born in Britain in 1855, Bullock-Webster emigrated to Canada and by 1878 worked for Hudson’s Bay Company managing a trading post at Fort Connelly, on Bear Lake in Northern British Columbia. Here he sketched, painted, and drew life in the Rockies, sending this artwork to The Graphic magazine. These illustrations include several images of Indigenous peoples, many of which include derogatory, offensive, and stereotyped imagery. The H. Bullock-Webster fonds are also available on Open Collections .
- Ian Waddell fonds (1965-2017)Waddell trained to be a lawyer in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1967 and his career has remained rooted in the area. From 1974 to 1977, Waddell served as special counsel for Justice Thomas R. Berger’s Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry. This fonds contains a series entitled "Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry" which, like the series of the same title in the Thomas Berger fonds, contains materials relevant to the report which recommended that the pipeline not be built through Indigenous territories. Materials in this fonds include research related to the communities that would have been affected by the pipeline.
- Irene Simmons Stephen fonds, 1948-1955Irene Simmons Stephen wrote and worked under the name Pamela Stephen. First Nations and British Columbia history were two of her primary interests as a writer and educator. Her show "Indian Trails" was aired across the country and her show "Story Time" was sponsored by the British Columbia Parent Teachers' Federation and featured on on radio station CKMO in Vancouver (ca. 1948-1950). Her book of short stories "Winged Canoes at Nootka and Other Stories of the Evergreen Coast" was published in 1955.
- J. Cowan fonds (1937-1946)This fonds provides documentary evidence of the kind of language that missionaries and settler-colonialists employed in their sermons in an attempt to convert Indigenous peoples to Christianity.
Reverend J. Cowan was an Anglican missionary in Lillooet B.C. during the early 1930s and 1940s. The fonds consists of manuscript notebooks filled with sermons, sermon notes, and liturgical pieces written on loose paper. Also included is printed material such as clippings and journal articles on divine subjects. - James Swan fonds (1852-1900)James Swan was a lawyer who specialized in admiralty law. He immigrated to Washington Territory from Boston, MA, in 1852 and developed an interest in Northwest Coast Indigenous cultures that is reflected in many aspects of the records. Throughout his life at Neah Bay and Port Townsend he served as Notary Public and Judge, Pilot Commissioner, Hawaiian Consul, Collector of Customs, and Collector for the Smithsonian Institute and the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries.
The fonds consists of extensive correspondence that reflects Swan's personal life and professional work as collector of Indigenous artifacts, as well as several cashbooks, estate records and miscellaneous items.
Many of the records in this fonds are relevant to the Haida Nation and can be found by searching the PDF finding aid for the terms "Haida," "Haidah," or "Queen Charlotte Islands." There is also material relevant to the Makah Tribe, which can be found by searching the PDF finding aid for the terms "Makah" or "Neah Bay." - John Keenlyside Legal Research Collection (1858-1900, 1923-1950)The fonds also contains materials related to court cases involving Indigenous peoples, including the violation of Indigenous burial sites, status of Indigenous peoples in the police forces, and the sale of liquor to Indigenous peoples.
In 1973, John S. Keenlyside founded the investment counseling firm John S. Keenlyside & Co. The fonds consists of legal documents collected by John Keenlyside over the last 35 years. The documents give insight into the formation of British Columbia's legal system when it consisted of two colonies. The legal records (including writs, testimony, judgements, and other court documents) were produced by judges, magistrates, defendants, claimants, and other relevant parties. Some figures of historical significance who created legal records in this fonds are the first judge in BC, the first Attorney General, and BC's earliest clergy, businessmen, and other prominent figures from the colonial period.
Items from this collection are digitized and available to be viewed here: https://open.library.ubc.ca/search?q=&p=0&sort=0&view=0&circle=n&dBegin=&dEnd=&c=2&collection=johnkeenlyside - Ken Crassweller fonds, 1967-2015Ken Crassweller was employed by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development as Programme Development Officer, Arctic Division Office, and by the Northwest Territories government between 1962 and 1972. His task to evaluate the existing artistic and cultural situation of the North generated the papers in his collection.
The fonds includes records relating to Crassweller's involvement in the development of Inuit arts and crafts programmes. - Lefty Literature Collection-- Darryl Adams fondsThis collection in the Darryl Adams fonds includes literature pertaining to political and social justice movements that Adams was interested in. These included Indigenous peoples rights and publications include a 1980 copy of United Native Nations (File 32-13) among other related magazines and periodicals.
- Leonard and Kitty Maracle fonds (1946-2000)The fonds consists of records created or collected by Leonard and Kitty Maracle in the course of their political work.
Please see the Featured Collections section of the Getting Started page of this research guide for more information about Leonard and Kitty Maracle and the organizations in which they were involved. - Lilian Bland fonds (1875-1935)Lilian Emily Bland was born September 27th 1878 in Kent, England, and lived as a settler in the Quatsino Sound from 1911-1932. She is widely recognized as the first woman to design, construct, and fly her own aircraft. She was also an avid photographer, journalist, marks-woman, equestrian, motorist. The fonds consists of 1,398 glass plate negatives, glass lantern slides, celluloid prints and celluloid negatives, the majority of which were taken by Lilian Bland. Many of these photographs document her years spent as a settler living on the Quatsino Sound in Vancouver Island and in California with her family. Two photographs are described as depicting ‘Indian Middens’, RBSC-ARC-PH-1233, and RBSC-ARC-PH-1265. These photographs may also be found by by keyword searching 'Indian' in the finding aid. Also included in the fonds is Lilian Bland’s unpublished memoir, which contains some descriptions of her interactions with members of the Quatsino First Nation, which she calls ‘Siwash’ or ‘Indian’. These may be found by searching by keyword. The memoir is available in file 11-01.
- MacMillan Bloedel Ltd, fonds (1861-1992)The MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. fonds contains the records of one of British Columbia's largest twentieth century forestry corporations. Records in the fonds span from 1866 to 2002 and include the records of each of the smaller predecessor companies, including Bloedel, Stewart and Welch Ltd, Powell River Company, and H.R. MacMillan Export Company. Records subjects include all aspects of the private Forestry industry, including the acquisition of title, licenses, and leases to land, timber, and water rights from the colonial Crown government, as well as disputes with, and legal recognition of the land and water rights of First Nations. Record types include reports, news clippings, photographs and maps. To find records related to these topics, try searching by keyword for 'rights' and 'license'. In addition, file 124-31, entitled ‘Cree girls visit Vancouver’ contains news-clippings on Judy Chubb and Mary Bernadette Chubb’s visit to Vancouver from God’s Lake Narrows First Nation, to MacMillan Bloedel’s headquarters in Vancouver. Photograph Binders in the Chemainus Sawmill Division series also contain photographs with the subject heading ‘The Indian Community’.
- New Democratic Party of British Columbia fonds, 1930-2006Some of the records in this fonds relate to the "Indian Affairs" branch of the NDP. The branch was created as a way for the Canadian government to manage its relationships with Indigenous peoples and policies related to Northern development.
Materials relevant to Indigenous peoples can be found by searching the finding aid for the term "Indian." - Oscar Orr collectionThis is an autograph and document collection that includes a letter from Dan Cranmer of Alert Bay regarding a possible potlatch.
Dan Cranmer was a Kwakwaka’wakw Chief who, in 1921, hosted what some say was the biggest ever potlatch on the B.C. coast as a way of challenging the law prohibiting anyone from taking part in a potlatch. - Pauline Johnson research collection (1881-1913)Betty Keller wrote "Pauline: The Life of Pauline Johnson" (1981). The collection consists of research material for Keller's book, "Pauline: The Life of Pauline Johnson". It includes photocopies of letters to, from, and about Pauline Johnson, copies of printed material, as well as two articles about Johnson. Johnson, also known by her Mohawk stage name Tekahionwake, was a Canadian poet, author and performer who was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her father was a hereditary Mohawk chief of mixed ancestry and her mother was an English immigrant.
- Peter Moogk Collection (ca. 1870 - 1960)The predominant focus of the series is on representations of white settler society—particularly children--though photographs of Indigenous persons and persons of colour are included as well. There are also several photographs of Chinese Canadians in Victoria and Vancouver.
- Phil Lind Klondike Gold Rush collection (ca. 1860-2016)The collection consists of archival records, printed materials, photographs, maps, posters, artefacts, and paintings related to the Klondike Gold Rush. The collection contains records documenting: the presence of Indigenous peoples throughout the Yukon; the exploration and appropriation of land in Alaska, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories by settlers; and the interactions of different cultures, including Indigenous peoples and settlers and stampeders from Canada, America, and around the world.
- Robert Darrall fonds (1891)Robert Erdedome Darrall was an author of a number of books, including "The Golden-Haired God", his first work, and "Legends of the Siwash Indians" (1891). The fonds consists of a notebook entitled "Legends of the Siwash Indians" (1891).
- Rolf Knight fonds (1961-2017)Rolf Knight was a settler-colonial author and historian. Relevant records in this fonds include draft chapters and notes for a book titled 'Indians at Work'. These records are in the Manuscript and Published Works series of the fonds.
- Sechelt Indian Curriculum ProjectFrank Fuller, a settler originally from Fort Worth Texas, moved to Sechelt, British Columbia where he worked as a teacher with his wife Doris Fuller. In 1980 he developed a curriculum entitled, "Sechelt Indian Curriculum Project" on the cultural heritage of the shíshálh Nation. The series contains seven files and includes newspaper clippings, transcripts of interviews, correspondence, photocopies and research notes.
- Terry Simmons fondsTerry Simmons was a Canadian-American lawyer, cultural geographer, and environmental activist. His fonds illustrates Terry Simmons’ environmental activism and academic research, and also contains some personal records. Files 03-23, 03-24, 10-07, 10-08, 10-11, and 11-11, as well as photographs PH-09 and PH-22 contain records related to Indigenous peoples and their environmental rights. These materials' contents are discussed in the relevant series-level descriptions.
- Thomas and Emma Crosby fonds (1862-1927)The fonds consists of records created or collected by Thomas and Emma Crosby in the course of their missionary work.
Please see the Featured Collections section of the Getting Started page of this research guide for more information about Thomas and Emma Crosby and the Nine Tribes of the Tsimshian. - Thomas Berger fonds (1944-2011)The fonds consists of records created or collected by Thomas Berger in the course of his legal work.
Please see the Featured Collections section of the Getting Started page of this research guide for more information about Thomas Berger and the court cases he worked on. - Thomas K. Fleming research collection (1861-2009)This fonds contains copies of journals kept by settler-colonial explorers Allesandro Malaspina, James Cook, Douglas James, and others. The fonds offers primary source material that contains narratives of early encounters between western settlers and Indigenous peoples. Specifically, the Historical Records and Research Subject Files series contains materials related to Allesandro Malaspina and the Noo-chah-nulth People.
- Thomas Norris fonds (1906-1976)The Thomas Norris fonds contains records of many of the judicial and legal cases that Norris worked on throughout his career. For example, the case of Regina vs Bob & White documents the various issues considered before a decision was handed down on aboriginal hunting and fishing rights in B.C. Other files include subjects of the law such as divorce, Native Indians and Legal Aid.
Norris began practicing law in British Columbia in 1911. In 1959, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia. In 1961, Norris was elevated to the Appeal Court of British Columbia. Norris was also appointed as Deputy District Judge in Admiralty in 1960 and as District Judge in Admiralty in 1961. - Vancouver Status of Women fonds (1940-2018)Vancouver Status of Women (VSW) was formed in 1971 in response to the Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women set up by Prime Minister Lester Pearson in 1967. Beginning in the mid-1990s, VSW began to prioritize anti-racism and anti-oppression work, as well as concerns specific to immigrant women, Indigenous women, women of colour, single mothers, and others.
Materials relevant to Indigenous women can be found by searching the finding aid for the terms "Indigenous" or "First Nations."
Since its inception, Vancouver Status of Women has addressed the following issues: discrimination in the public education system, pay equity, violence against women, the lack of community services for women, pensions, pornography, inadequate unemployment and welfare rates, the anti-choice movement, and corporate globalization. Beginning in the mid-1990s, VSW began to prioritize anti-racism and anti-oppression work, as well as concerns specific to immigrant women, Indigenous women, women of colour, single mothers, and others. In the early 2000s, VSW engaged in learning about issues affecting transgender individuals and shifted its policies to be trans-inclusive.
VSW’s goals were to ensure that the recommendations of the Royal Commission were implemented, foster public knowledge of women’s issues, and facilitate communication amongst individuals and groups concerned with the status of women. - The Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection (1860-2008)This is an outstanding collection of archival documents, photographs, books and artifacts related to three broad themes: British Columbia History, Immigration and Settlement, and the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. Materials relevant to Indigenous peoples can be found by searching the finding aid for the terms "Indigenous," "Indian," or "First Nations." Records in this collection related to British Columbia history as well as issues around settlement occasionally touch on relations between Indigenous peoples and settlers.
- Webber family fondsBernard and Jean contributed to the advancement of Indigenous rights and education across their political, professional and volunteer lives. They maintained a lifelong commitment to the issue through their close friendship with Anthony Walsh, whom they met in 1940 while Walsh was teacher at the Inkameep Day School on the Nk’mip reserve. Walsh was renowned for his teaching within the day school system that integrated Indigenous knowledge and culture into classroom learning and instilled pride in his students’ native heritage at a time when the government’s residential school system sought to erase Indigenous culture. His methods contributed directly to the resurgence of Indigenous cultural production in the region, which Bernard and Jean actively supported in the 1940s and 50s through amateur theatre and drama festivals, including as members of the Society for the Revival of Indian Arts and Crafts. As an education administrator, Bernard advocated for courses in Indigenous languages, history and culture, specifically of the Haisla people while as District Superintendent of Schools in Kitimat. Jean advocated for Indigenous issues through her various writing; notably, in her authorship of the CCF’s Indigenous policy in 1945, and in her writing and editing in the 1980s on the Indigenous history of the Okanagan.
Materials related to Indigenous arts, education and reconciliation are found throughout the fonds. - Western Forest Products collection (1937-2004)Western Forest Products Incorporated is a major harvesting and lumber manufacturing company operating in the coastal regions of British Columbia. The collection includes Haida tree farm licenses, maps of Haida Gwaii (also referred to as 'Queen Charlotte Islands' in the records), microfiche related to logging in Indigenous Nations' land areas (see, for example file 23-31), as well as land-use agreements and land management relationship between forest companies and Indigenous communities.
- William Walken fonds (1850-1919)The fonds consists of a number of typewritten manuscripts for short articles by Dr. Walkem as well as clippings of published articles. Files 1-7, 1-8 and 1-9 contain records related to Indigenous peoples. The fonds also includes Walkem's incomplete autobiography, a scrapbook of clippings relating to his experiences as a MLA and photographs.
Historic Map Collections
The following map collections housed at RBSC include information about locations for Indian Reserves, Indigenous territories, battle sites, language distribution, and settlements.
- Andrew McCormick Maps and Prints
A diverse collection of historical maps and illustrations, dating from 1503 to 1910, documenting colonial exploration and mapping of the world, the evolution of cartography, and the exploration and settlement of North America, collected by Andrew McCormick, a long-time faculty member of UBC's Department of Ophthamology.
This collection can also be accessed in Open Collections.
Image Source: Manesson-Mallet, Allain, 1630?-1706? (1683). Tertes Arctiques, Figure CXI, Groenlande [M]. University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. Andrew McCormick Maps and Prints. G3380 1683 M35. http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0023059
- Coolie-Vernier Map CollectionDr. Coolie Verner (1917-1979) was a professor of adult education at UBC, but his avocation was the history of cartography and cartobibliography. He developed a large collection of maps to support his study of the cartographic development of northern North America. The maps in this collection are mainly of North America, in particular the western and northern parts, and of eastern Russia and China, and cover the period from the 16th - 20th century. There are groups of maps featuring the explorations of Cook, Vancouver, La Perouse, Müller, Cluny, De Fonte, Dixon and Meares, Mackenzie and Hearne. His map collection consists of some 400 maps, including originals and some photocopies.
Image Source: The University of British Columbia, Rare Books and Special Collections. (2019.) Historical Map Collections. Retrieved from http://guides.library.ubc.ca/c.php?g=699984&p=4970085
- Howay-Reid Maps of British ColumbiaThis collection consists of the map collections of F.W. Howay and Dr. Robie L. Reid, donated in 1943 and 1945, respectively.
The wide range of maps in Howay's collection includes Delisle's maps showing the mythical geography of de Fonte, British Admiralty charts, Spanish voyages of exploration, and blueprints of the site of a Hudson's Bay fort. Also present are photocopies of the manuscript maps in the British Columbia Department of Legal Surveys, as well as promotional maps for new British Columbia "cities." The collection is strong in the areas of cartography of pre-Confederation Canada and the Pacific coast of Canada, including the fur trade, the voyages of exploration, and the search for the Northwest Passage. - R.C. (Bob) Harris fondsR.C. Harris was born in England in 1922 and moved to Canada in 1948. He worked for Dominion Bridge Company, and was commissioned to build many trails in British Columbia. The fonds consists of multiple media material used by Harris to research the historic trails of British Columbia including First Nations trails and Hudson Bay Brigade trails. Included in the fonds are over 100 maps and plans of 'Indian Reserves'. Many of these date back to the late 19th century, and can be found by searching for the phrase 'Indian' in the PDF finding aid.
Journals
Journal of a voyage to the Pacific and American shores by Call Number: FC3817.1 .W497 1849Publication Date: 1849-1852This item contains observations on weather encountered, places visited, and people met, including members of British Columbia's First Nations communities. It is a manuscript (handwritten) journal of Susannah (Hack) Weynton during her voyage on board the Hudson's Bay Company supply ship Cowlitz (captained by her husband Alexander John Weynton), travelling from London to the Pacific Northwest via Cape Horn and Hawaii, and back to London again. The account dates from August 4, 1849 to March 22, 1851.
Image Source: Weynton, S. (1852). Journal of a voyage to the Pacific and American shores [D]. University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. FC3817.1 .W497 1849. http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0349095
Relacion del viage hecho por las goletas Sutil y Mexicana en el año de 1972 para reconocar el estecho de Fuca : con una introduccion en que se da noticia de las expediciones executadas anteroirmente por los españoles en busca del paso del noroeste del l by Call Number: FC3821.23 .E86 1958Publication Date: 1958The text and atlas relating Valdes' and Alcala Galiano's voyage describe Vancouver Island and the Nuu-Chah-Nulth people encountered there.Voyage dans les États-Unis d'Amérique fait en 1795, 1796 et 1797. English Travels through the United States of North America, the country of the Iroquois, and Upper Canada, in the years 1795, 1796, and 1797; by the Duke de La Rochefoucault Liancourt. Wi by
Call Number: E164 .L32 1800Publication Date: 1800This item contains accounts of first or early contact between Indigenous peoples and colonial settlers. Information about specific nations or tribes can be found by searching the book for specific names (such as "Oneida" or "Nootka") or by searching generally for the term "Indian."
Voyage to the Northwest Coast of America 1792 by Call Number: F851.5 .B75 2012ISBN: 9780870624087Publication Date: 2012-05-07This item contains information first hand accounts of one of the Spanish colonial-settlers of the area now known as British Columbia, including the interactions he had with the Nuu-chah-nulth people.
In 1792, Spanish naval officer and explorer Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra sailed from San Blas, Mexico, to Nootka Sound, on the west coast of what is now known as Vancouver Island. For nearly three years, he had been immersed in the aftermath of the Nootka Crisis of 1789, a dispute between Britain and Spain over sovereignty in the North Pacific. He was journeying north as his government's commissioner to hand over Spanish-occupied territory at Nootka. This book offers the first published English translation of Bodega's journal, an account of his travels along the Northwest Coast of America, encounters with Indigenous peoples -- most notably, Chief Maquinna of the Nuu-chah-nulth people -- and the friendship that developed between Bodega and his British counterpart, George Vancouver.
Photograph Collections
- British Columbia historical photograph collectionThis collection consists of photographs collected by the Rare Books and Special Collections divisions throughout its operation. Subjects predominantly include British Columbia people, places and events, but also includes photographs taken throughout the Pacific Northwest, across Canada and in some cases internationally. The collection contains photographs of Indigenous people and sites.
- Ulli Steltzer photograph collectionFrom the late 1950s through the early 1970s, Ulli Steltzer made frequent trips across the United States to photograph and interview African American families in the South, as well as Hopi, Navajo, and Pueblo peoples in New Mexico and Arizona. In 1972, Steltzer permanently relocated her studio and home to Vancouver, British Columbia, where she befriended several prominent Haida artists, including carvers Robert Davidson and Bill Reid, who would become her frequent collaborators. Steltzer documented the art, culture, and traditions of the Haida and other coastal communities, as well as the Inuit, with whom she lived for several months. She used an unobtrusive hand-held Rollei camera to seek out Indigenous artists and peoples in their traditional territories, meet them informally and record their lives and work. Traveling widely throughout the Americas and Asia during her long career, Steltzer also documented life in Southern California, Guatemala, Cuba, China, and India, with a recurrent focus on immigrant communities and Indigenous peoples.
The collection consists of 67 black and white photographs of various sizes taken by Ulli Steltzer in the 1960s and 1970s. Subjects include Northwest Coast Indigenous peoples and artists, Black, LatinX and Indigenous peoples in the USA and Guatemala, and a small number of portraits and still-life. - Uno Langmann Family Collection of B.C. PhotographsThe Uno Langmann Family Collection of B.C. Photographs, donated by Uno and Dianne Langmann and Uno Langmann Limited, consists of more than 18,000 rare and unique early photographs from the 1850s to the 1970s. It is considered the premiere private collection of early provincial photos, and an important illustrated history of early photographic methods. The photographs were taken by a wide range of photographers. Some well-known photographers represented in the collection include William Notman, Charles MacMunn, Frederick Dally, Charles Horetzky, Charles Gentile, Philip Timms, Yucho Chow, R. Maynard, and Leonard Frank. The collection contains photographs of Indigenous peoples and sites.
A portion of the photographs in this collection have been digitized and are available to be viewed on our Open Collections.
Open Collections
Image source: Dee, M. (2008, May 22). Honorary degree recipient Thomas Berger [P]. UBC Archives Photograph Collection. http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0163672
Image source: Crosby, Emma, 1849-1926. University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. Thomas and Emma Crosby fonds. RBSC-ARC-1149-2-18-05. (1925, April 25). [Envelope, Jessie Harris? to Emma Crosby, April 19, 1925] [C]. http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0006301
Image source: Keenlyside, J. S. (1863). University of British Columbia Library, Rare Books and Special Collections, RBSC-ARC-1300-1-07. Nanaimo, petition; 1863/03/00. http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0092067
Image Source: [unknown]. University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. The Chung Collection. CC_PH_09370_034_037. (1938). Vicinity of Indian School- Near Tofino [P]. http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0217261
Image source: British Columbia. Supreme Court. (1988, November 30). [Proceedings of the Supreme Court of British Columbia 1988-11-30] [T]. University of British Columbia Library. Law Library. KEB529.5.L3 B757. http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0018380
Exhibitions
- The Iron Pulpit ExhibitionIn 2013, as part of UBC Library’s commemoration of Canada’s National Aboriginal History Month, Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC) re-instituted the popular exhibition “The Iron Pulpit”: Missionary Printing Presses in British Columbia. The exhibition featured materials produced on missionary printing presses in British Columbia between the 1850s and 1910s, and situated its subject in contexts of Indigenous-Christian encounter, colonialism, and print culture in the province.
Although the exhibition is no longer on display, all the materials that comprised the exhibition are located in RBSC and are available upon request. - Settling the Language: Dictionaries and Language Change 1490 to TodayThis exhibition was given in recognition of the Dictionary Society of North America and Studies in the History of the English Language conferences held at the University of British Columbia on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking Musqueam People, June 5-7, 2015. The exhibit catalogue, written by Grant Hurley in 2015, showcases many forms of Dictionaries at Rare Books and Special Collections, including dictionaries of Indigenous languages in North America. See Case D on page 19 of the catalogue for more information and item descriptions.
Vertical Files
Vertical files at RBSC are arranged alphabetically and include pamphlets, exhibition announcements and reviews, newspaper clippings, planning reports, unpublished manuscripts, biographical information, correspondence, memorabilia, and other materials. We have listed particular files related to Indigenous content below.
- Adrien Morice fonds byCall Number: VF-91Publication Date: 1891-1930This fonds provides documentary evidence of the ways in which Indigenous belief systems and oral histories were appropriated and put into writing by colonial settlers. Father A.G. Morice was a priest of the Oblate Order who served as a missionary to the Chilcotin Nation until 1885 when he was sent to Fort St. James, Stuart Lake. While at the missions, Morice invented a syllabary for the Dene languages and printed catechisms and prayer books in those languages. Morice's many works included histories of Western Canada and the Catholic Church. The fonds consists of proofs of Morice's autobiography Fifty Years in Western Canada (1931) and five letters to Dr. Robert Bell, relating primarily to Morice's writings, particularly Indigenous belief systems.
- [Alice Ravenhill miscellanea] byCall Number: VF-589Publication Date: 1940-1954The file contains information about Ravenhill's advocacy efforts on behalf of Indigenous peoples, particularly Indigenous art. File contains copies of letters written by Alice Ravenhill on behalf of the Society of the Furtherance of BC Indian Arts & Crafts. The file also contains newspaper clippings about Ravenhill's life and her work.
- [Alice Ravenhill portrait] byCall Number: VF-776Publication Date: Feb 1948The file gives further evidence and a more well-rounded picture of a woman who was at the forefront of advocacy for Indigenous arts in the 19th and 20th centuries. File contains one black and white photographic portrait of Alice Ravenhill, printed on thick paper and mounted on cardboard. Inscriptions below suggest the photo was taken in Victoria B.C.; signed by Ravenhill and dated February 1948 in the same hand.
- Anthony Walsh fonds byCall Number: VF-113Publication Date: 1936-1941This fonds provides evidence of the functionality of an Indian day school from the insider perspective of someone who helped operate one. Anthony Walsh taught school at the Inkameep Indian Day School at Oliver, B.C. (1936-1941). The fonds consists of twenty-four incoming letters received by Walsh while at the school.
- [British Columbia Supreme Court miscellanea] byCall Number: VF-218Publication Date: 1850-1868This fonds provides evidence of Indigenous peoples' land rights claims and how some of those issues played out in the courts.
This fonds contains a transcript of judgement of Mr Justice Clements, Supreme Court of British Columbia, regarding Indigenous lands and recording copy of treaty statement with the Chilcowitch Tribe of Point Gonzales. It also includes documentation regarding the New Westminster General Assizes signed by Judge Begbie. - [Canada. Department of Indian Affairs miscellanea] byCall Number: VF-219Publication Date: 1911-1965This fonds provides documentary evidence of the transfer of land between Indigenous populations and colonial settlers.
This fonds contains photocopied documents about the original transfer of land from the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation (also known as the Fort George Band) to the Canadian government and a memo which makes further reference to the land. - [Francis Dickie miscellanea] byCall Number: VF-33Publication Date: 1936This file acts as primary source evidence for the kinds of oral histories that were appropriated and put into writing by colonial settlers.
This file contains a manuscript and copy of "Six Tales from the Tsimsyen Indians of British Columbia". The term "Tsimsyen" appears to be a bastardization of the name Tsimshian. - ['Ksan feast list of Gitxsan songs and dances]Call Number: VF-781Publication Date: 30 Jun 1972This file provides documentary evidence of traditional songs, dances, and celebrations of the Gitxsan.
File contains one typed list entitled "Limx ganhl miiluxw ga ni ye et.xwum (Songs and Dances of our Grandfathers)" for a feast at 'Ksan on Friday, 30 June 1972. List includes the names of the performances and performers in two columns. - [Leonard Peltier Defense Committee documents] byCall Number: VF-756Publication Date: [c.1976]The file provides documentary evidence of 20th century activism of the American Indian Movement and the ways that Indigenous activists have been treated by both the United States and Canadian governments.
File contains several documents related to the defense of Leonard Peltier, an American Indian Movement member seeking refuge in Canada following the Wounded Knee incident in South Dakota in which 200 Indigenous activists occupied the land in order to protest the federal government's failure to honour treaties with Indigenous peoples. The documents include two blank petition forms addressed to the Minister of Justice in Ottawa requesting a stay of extradition; another letter from the Leonard Peltier Defense/Offense Committee requests support from friends and supporters, updating them on the details of Peltier's trial; another typed letter from Peltier (1 Nov, 1976) reaches out to his supporters to rally and unite; another document details the adoption of Peltier by the Canadian Kwawkgewlth Nation (8 Aug 1976) by Mrs. Ethel Pearson. - [Letter written by an Indian student at St Paul's Mission, Lytton, on behalf of his father]. byCall Number: VF-463Publication Date: 1892This file provides documentary evidence of the perspective of an Indigenous person who experienced the results of missionary efforts and Anglicization/colonization in the late 1800s.
- [Philipp Stedman indian deed]Call Number: VF-11Publication Date: 1795The deed acts as primary source material for land ownership of Indigenous peoples and also acts as an example of land negotiations between Indigenous peoples and colonial settlers.
This file contains two photographs of the deed given to Phillip Stedman by the Sachems of the Six Nations in 1795. - Robert Darrall fonds byCall Number: VF-31Publication Date: 1891This file acts as evidence for the ways in which colonial settlers appropriated the oral histories and belief systems of Indigenous peoples.
Robert Erdedome Darrall is the author of a number of books, including "The Golden-Haired God", his first work, and "Legends of the Siwash Indians" (1891). The fonds consists of a notebook entitled "Legends of the Siwash Indians" (1891) which contains written records of the oral histories conveyed to him by Indigenous peoples.
The term "Siwash" was a derogatory term used to describe Indigenous peoples in general. It is unclear what particular nation or tribe Darrall was informed by. - [S.S. Danube logbook] byCall Number: VF-402Publication Date: 1891-1897This fonds provides evidence of land rights of Indigenous peoples, as well as the relationships that Indigenous peoples have had to the land and to nature. The fonds includes a logbook of the Danube which contains five cruise entries with log entries relating to Sitka, Refuge Bay, Pribiloff Islands, Alert Bay, seal slaughters, shooting polar bears, heavy seas and gales, trading between Indigenous peoples and settlers, Russian officials, and American commissioners.
- [Two lease agreements dated 1877 & 1878 between Chief Paul Sebassah & C.S. Windsor and the North Western Commercial Company]Call Number: VF-579Publication Date: 1877-1878This vertical file contains two lease agreements dated 1877 and 1878. Both agreements are signed by Gitxalla Chief Ts'ibasaa (Paul Sebassah). The first agreement is signed June 23 1877 and was made between C.S. Windsor of Inverness, B.C. and Paul Sebassah, giving Windsor the right to fish for salmon for up to four years for $100 per year. The second agreement is signed June 14, 1878 and was made between Paul Sebassah, proprietor of the Salmon fishery of Kitsah to sell the exclusive right of fishing for the present season to W.M Neil of the North Western Commercial Company for $50, to be renewed yearly.