Book Description

Songhees Pictorial presents the story of the Songhees people, the original Salish inhabitants the southern tip of Vancouver Island, since their first contact with Europeans in 1790. It is an insightful ethno-historical account of a people and the place where they lived. When the Songhees Reserve was established in 1843 across the harbour from Fort Victoria, it became a gathering place for First Peoples throughout the region seeking trade with Europeans. This new commerce brought prosperity, conflict, disease and cultural upheaval to the Songhees and other coastal First Nations. Focusing on the old reserve, Grant Keddie presents these rapidly changing times through the eyes of outsiders, as expressed in newspaper reports and private journals, as depicted in sketches, paintings and photographs. The book features almost 200 archival images - many published here for the first time. Though these views of First Peoples in Victoria were taken through the biased lenses of non-aboriginal photographers, Grant Keddie gives them context and perspective. Songhees Pictorial offers a rich visual history of the old Songhees Reserve and it's people.