Creation and legacy of historic silences in anthropological traditions: An ethnohistorical re-analysis of nineteenth-century Coast Salish genealogy, leadership, and territoriality

Abstract

ABSTRACT We scrutinize previously untranslated field notebooks of Franz Boas that relate to the lower Fraser River region of coastal British Columbia, and contextualize the historical and social position of his principle interlocutor, siyá:m George StsEē’lis. In doing so, we reposition the available documentary evidence about this siyá:m for a different perspective on his people’s history than has been written. The central themes emerging from our study provide new insights into genealogy and inheritance, marriage alliances, and the nature of leadership during a socially tumultuous time. These insights in turn are the key to interpreting conflicting anthropological narratives that continue to undermine an indigenous communities’ assertions of identity, history, and territorial rights.