Conversations with Khahtsahlano

X̱ats'alanexw siyam, CHIEF AUGUST JACK KHAHTSAHLANO | Sḵwx̱wú7mesh

MAJOR JAMES SKITT MATTHEWS, MRS. ALERA WAY

  • English

  • colonization, displacement, anti-Indigenous racism

  • Grade 5 +

Twenty-two years of conversations between X̱ats’alanexw siyam (Chief August Jack Khahtsahlano) of the Sḵwx̱uwú7mesh Nation and Major J.S. Matthews. Originally published in 1955 by the Vancouver City Archives, Conversations with Khahtsahlano is published in its original form.

X̱ats’alanexw siyam remembers as far back as 1881. He recounts neighbourhood tales, traditional stories he grew up with, local genealogies, cultural histories, and detailed accounts of practices for everything from fishing sturgeon to building houses. X̱ats’alanexw siyam recollections a rare first-hand account detailing traditional life of the Coast Salish peoples, an insightful record rich with art, diagrams, maps, letters, and photographs that give shape to the social and physical changes of the region. An insightful glimpse into so-called Vancouver in its infancy.