Conversations with Khahtsahlano, 19321954

(Hardback, 2nd New edition)

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Conversations with Khahtsahlano, 19321954 contains twenty-two years of conversations between Swxuw7mesh Chief Xatsalanexw, a.k.a. Chief August Jack Khahtsahlano, and Major J.S. Matthews. Originally published in 1955 by the Vancouver City Archives, Conversations with Khahtsahlano received a limited publication and is reproduced here in facsimile.

Chief Xatsalanexws reminiscences travel as far back as 1881. He recounts neighbourhood tales, the Traditional Stories he grew up with, local genealogies, cultural histories, and detailed accounts of practices for everything from fishing sturgeon to building houses. Knowledgeable and forthcoming, Chief Xatsalanexws recollections weave a meticulous tapestry.

After centuries of violent erasure of Indigenous world views, here is a rare first-hand account detailing traditional life of the Coast Salish peoples, an insightful record rich with art, diagrams, maps, letters, and photographs. Chief Xatsalanexws observations give shape to the social and physical changes of the region, and offer an illuminating glimpse into so-called Vancouver in its infancy. Conversations with Khahtsahlano is an essential text that brings history indelibly to life.

Reviews

Chief Xatsalanexw provides incredible insight into the history, culture, and lifestyle of our peoples. His descriptive accounts help readers to visualize our historical villages around kemkemely, learn how weve thrived off our lands for millennia and understand how we were forcibly removed from them during colonization.

Syexwliya Ann Whonnock, Swxw7mesh xwumixw Councillor and grandniece of Chief Xatsalanexw

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Major James Skitt Matthews (7 September 1878 1 October 1970) was the City of Vancouver's first archivist and an early historian and chronicler of the city.

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