The Hidden Journals Author Reading

The Hidden Journals

History turns into mystery when Halikium Wade Baker, from the Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw starts to research a distant ancestor, Third Lieutenant Joseph Baker, mapmaker on Captain Vancouver's ship HMS Discovery. Intergenerational knowledge experts share about the land, the important role of Indigenous women in decision-making, and royal ancestral leadership before the colonial mapping lines were drawn. Memories passed on from Senlháliya (Grannie Lizzie) and many other Coast Salish and Hawaiian elders lead to authentic stories about the Kings, Queens and Siýáms in their kingdoms, and their long term relationships of equal status with Captain Vancouver and his officers.

When the authors began their research, they did not realize how extensively this important Pacific West Coast history had been erased. Many years of conversations with extended family, as well as over 10 years of primary archival research in museums and libraries around the world, uncovered a very different Captain Vancouver than the person described in mainstream written history. The oral knowledge and stories are interwoven with information from primary journals and logbooks found in museums around the world. The reader will follow the author's journey through Vancouver, Victoria, London, England and Maui to uncover the unedited story of Capt. Vancouver and his mapmaker. This book will reveal stories and narratives about the respectful and high level social, trading and cultural relationships between the British officers and the local Kings, Queens and Siýáms (Chiefs) that are compelling, moving and insightful. This book will forever change how you think about the Indigenous people and their history, and brings understanding to the profound effects that the later distortions of those times had on the subconscious beliefs carried today. This reclaims a family story that was lost from written history. It is a story of land, love, legacy and connection across cultures. The book is an invitation to consider transformative change and meaningful solutions.

A new chapter on Reconciliation has been added by the authors in this updated version, as well as 22 questions for discussion for teachers for curriculum planning.

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Host or Publisher Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre in Whistler