Esquimalt

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Traditional Esquimalt territory and today's reserve (orange)

The Esquimalt or Ess-whoy-malth , officially the Esquimalt Nation , (also Xwsepsum or often incorrectly called Kosampsom - as in the Treaty of 1843), are one of the First Nations on Vancouver Island in British Columbia .

Culturally and linguistically, they belong to the coastal Salish of the northwest coast culture of the Pacific , whose residential area extends to Oregon . Together with the neighboring Songhees (Lkwungen or Lekwungen) they speak Lək̓ʷəŋín̓əŋ / Lekwungen or Songhees / Songish , a dialect of the Northern Straits Salish , one of the largest dialect groups within the Central Coast Salish from the Salish language family .

Today (as of September 2013) the Esquimalt Nation has 288 tribesmen, 163 of whom live on the reservation.

history

The Esquimalt were - and are sometimes still today - often together with the closely related Songhees (Lkwungen or Lekwungen) also called Lekwammen (or Lekwungen) - but this name is increasingly only related to the Songhees, as it is their own name. Further historically (and partly still today) Straits Salish -speaking groups of the coastal Salish are the Lummi (Xwlemi or Lhaq'temish) , Saanich (W̱SÁNEĆ) , Samish (sʔémǝš) , Semiahmoo , T'sou-ke (Sooke) and the Klallam (S'Klallam) .

The Songhees lived around Victoria, whose core wintered in Cadboro Bay and spent the summer in a place called Xthapsam, near Gorge near Victoria . A smaller group occupied the area around the Sooke Basin. Society was organized according to families, not tribes. The family relationships determined the family-bound dialect, but also the question of who worked together, who shared resources. This relationship extended far beyond the local house group and the village into other communities. The village, on the other hand, played a role in certain types of ceremonies. So the village was not a more structured unit than the extended family.

The basics of nutrition, hunting, gathering, preservation, differ only slightly within the coastal Salish. To the north of Esquimalt Lagoon is a clam pile that has been in continuous use (east of Cottonwood Creek). Some archaeological sites belong to the Marpole or the Gulf of Georgia cultures . The Marpole culture lasted from 400 BC. BC to AD 400 while the Gulf of Georgia culture extends to AD 1000.

The Xwsepsum (Kosampsom) lived in a village near Portage Inlet . Shell mounds at the Tillicum Bridge can be traced back to around 2000 BC. To date. Before the arrival of the first Europeans, they lived in several villages on Perry Bay and Cordova Bay.

First contact with Europeans

The first Spanish and British ships headed for Esquimalt in 1790 and 1792. Don Manuel Quimper anchored in the harbor in 1790 and named the place "Puerto de Cordova" after the 46th Viceroy of New Spain . Even James Cook admired the landscape cultivated by the Indians around the later Victoria , but did not recognize the signs of a differentiated farming culture.

The European traders who visited the Pacific coast initially came because of the otter pelts , which they could sell on in China at high profits. They brought metals and other goods, such as Venetian glass beads, and rifles. The yields and the muskets changed the regional balance of power. So the Nanaimo , Saanich, Songhees, Esquimalt, Musqueam and Squamish allied against the northern tribes like the Lekwiltok, who went out on robbery and slave hunting . They fought a devastating battle in Maple Bay. The largest tribal alliance in Western Canada's history was on the verge of attacking Fort Victoria in 1843, but made peace with the whites.

In the contracts that the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) concluded with today's Esquimalt, they are still called "Kosampsom". The word Esquimalt is the anglicized form of the word "Ess-whoy-malth", which probably means "place of shallow water". Farms were established as early as 1850, such as the Viewfield Farm, which was soon followed by others. In 1852 the first connection path to Victoria was built. By this time Songhees and Esquimalt must have split up for good. The Craigflower School Building was built in 1854 and still exists today and houses a museum.

In 1858, the Fraser River gold rush brought thousands to Victoria, many of whom disembarked in Esquimalt. In 1865 the place became a naval base. In 1863 a sawmill was built on the Esquimalt lagoon over a burial site.

In 1881 the Esquimalt had only 30 members, divided into 8 families. The oldest members of the tribe were 60 and 70, but there were only three who were 50 or older.

The chieftainship is of great continuity. Edward Joe was a traditional chief until the 1970s, his predecessor being Joe Sinupen. This was a descendant of si'sœnak , a leader of the Xwsepsum (Kosapsum), who appears as 'Say-sinka' in the Kosampsum Treaty of April 30, 1850. In 1972 Andy Thomas took over the dignity and name of her ancestor. Their area extended from the Cordova to Parry Bay on Vancouver Island and included the west coast of San Juan Island.

When the McKenna-McBride Commission visited the reservations from 1913, they suggested that the reservation of the "Esquimalt Tribe", "Esquimalt-Esquimalt District, 47.00 acres" should remain. The Commission's proposals did not become legally binding until 1923.

Family groups

Today's Songhees and Esquimalt are descendants of the following family groups in the so-called Douglas Treaties (Vancouver Island Treaties or Fort Victoria Treaties) :

  • the Teechamitsa (from Albert Head to Esquimalt Harbor - now members of the Esquimalt Nation)
  • the Xwsepsum (Kosampsom) or Camossung (eastern part of Esquimalt Harbor, at Craigflower Creek ( Pulkwutsang - "the ghost place") in Portage Inlet, the Gorge Waters (Gorge waterway) in the harbor of today's Victoria to Halkett Island - Main group of today's Esquimalt Nation)
  • the Whyomilth (northwest part of Esquimalt Harbor - now members of the Esquimalt Nation)
  • the Chekonein (Che-ko-no) (between Gonzales Point and Mount Douglas - now members of the Songhees First Nation)
  • the Chilcowitch (east of Ross Bay to Gonzales Point - now members of the Songhees First Nation)
  • der Stsanges (in the area of ​​today's Albert Head (Tleepet), a suburb of Metchosin, British Columbia - now members of the Songhees First Nation)
  • the Swengwhung (Inner Harbor, James Bay ( Whosaykum - "sand, clay" or) "muddy, swampy place," Clover Point and Ross Bay area of Greater Victoria - now members of the Songhees First Nation)

Current situation

Canada and British Columbia agreed in late 2006 with the Esquimalt and Songhees to a payment of 31.5 million CAD to be divided equally among the tribes. Then a Replacement Lands Committee should be set up to discuss the exchange of certain areas. However, this treaty is outside the BC Treaty Process , the six-stage treaty process that the province began with numerous tribes in 1993. In addition, the surrounding First Nations are increasingly participating in the Victoria Harbor Plan , which provides for a significant expansion of the port.

Finally, in March 2007, the City of View Royal decided to contribute $ 96,000 and the Province $ 40,000 to restore a cemetery in Partage Park that had been damaged by storms.

Reservations

The Esquimalt now own a reserve of 18.9 hectares, the Esquimalt Indian Reserve , which was assigned to them by the HBC in 1850 and approved by the Joint Reserve Commission . It is located on Esquimalt Harbor in Plumper Bay, southwest of Victoria. Of the 288 tribesmen today (as of September 2013), 163 live in the reservation, 25 in other reservations, and the remaining 100 Esquimalt mostly in surrounding cities.

Remarks

  1. ↑ After viHistory: [1] .
  2. ↑ The published text: Minutes of Decision - Esquimalt Tribe, Nanaimo Trive and Nanose Tribe  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / ubcic.bc.ca  
  3. ↑ named after the indigenous name of a girl who, according to legend, turned to stone at the Gorge Waters in what is now the harbor of Victoria. There is a shell midden next to the south side of the Tillicum Bridge near Kinsmen Park, which dates back around 4,000 years.
  4. ↑ See Nation Talk, March 1, 2007 .
  5. ↑ According to the information from the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development , First Nation Profiles: Esquimalt ( Memento of the original from June 10, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / pse5-esd5.ainc-inac.gc.ca

literature

Web links

See also