Indigenous Cultures of British Columbia
Overview
1. Overview of First Nations Cultures
- First Nations’ Bands, Population, Languages, and Names
- Anthropological Approaches to Indigenous Societies
2. Origins of Peoples in B.C.
- Initial Occupation of the New World and B.C.
- Archaeological Overview of Over 12,000 years
- Oral Histories and Origin Stories
3. The Avenues of Cultural Knowledge - A History
- Early Cultural Encounters (Explorers, Early Traders, Missionaries)
- History of Anthropological Study
- Oral Traditions
4. Northern Northwest Coast Cultures (Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian)
5. Central Coast Cultures (Kwakwaka’wakw, Nuxalk)
5. West Coast Cultures (Nuu-chah-nulth)
6. South Coast Cultures (Coast Salish)
7. Mid-Fraser Canyon Cultures (Nlaka’pamux, St'át'imc)
8. Interior Plateau Cultures (Secwempemc, Okanagan, Ktunaxa)
9. Northeast Interior Cultures (Tsil’qotin, Tahltan, Dene)
10. Cultural Themes Throughout the Course:
- Environmental and Ecological Context
- Economy and Subsistence Methods
- Complex Hunter-Gatherer-Fishers
- Annual Movements from Villages to Seasonal Camps
- Social Organization (Nobles, Commoners, Slaves)
- Division of Labour and Specializations (Chiefs, Shamans, Healers, Warriors, Artisans, Weavers, Dancers)
- Political Organization (Decision-Making, Punishment, Dispute Arbitration)
- The Potlatch (Status, Gifting, Redistribution, Public Accounting)
- Warfare and Conflict Resolution (Weaponry, Forts, Peace Ceremonies)
- Religious and Spiritual Beliefs and Practices (Spirit Powers, Totems, Shamanism, Rituals, Ceremonies)
- Oral Histories (Legends, Lineages, Ancestral Names, Differences with Written Histories)
- Architecture (Plankhouses, Pithouses, Refuges)
- Art (Totem Poles, House Panels, Symbols)
11. Changes and Challenges After Colonialism:
- History of Early Contact with Europeans and B.C. First Nations
- Early Alterations and Adaptations of Traditional Cultures
- Effects of Population Decline from Diseases
- Reserve Allotments and the Beginnings of Indian Administration and the Indian Act
12. Current Issues:
- Unceded Territories, Land Claims, and Contemporary Treaty Making
- Movements Towards Indigenous Self-Government
- History of Indigenous Resistance
- Indigenous Cultural Revitalization
The course will employ a variety of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following:
- Lectures
- Films, videos and slide presentations
- Small and Large Group Discussion
- Guest Speakers
Evaluation will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific criteria during the first week of classes.
Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in the course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.
An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be:
| Mid-Term Exam | 25% |
| Reading Assessments | 15% |
| Final Exam | 25% |
| Research Essay | 30% |
| Attendance & Participation | 5% |
| Total | 100% |
Students may conduct research with human participants as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving human subjects.
At the conclusion of the course, a student should be conversant in:
1. The major indigenous groups of British Columbia, their general distribution and relationship to other groups by language or lifeway.
2. Traditional cultural practices (including economy, social organizations, architecture and other aspects) for each of the major cultural regions of British Columbia.
3. The traditional cultural beliefs about proper relationships among peoples, the environment, and the spirit world.
4. The challenges indigenous groups faced for their cultural beliefs and practices after European contact and settlement, and their responses and engagement with the development of British Columbia and Canada.
5. Historic federal policies of native administration and residential schools in Canada, and how these continue to have lasting effects in their restriction of First Nations culture.
Texts will be updated periodically. Typical examples are:
- Muckle, Robert J. (2014). The First Nations of British Columbia. Third Edition. UBC Press, Vancouver.
Supplemental text examples:
- Elsey, Christine (2012) The Poetics of Land and Identity among British Columbia Indigenous Peoples. Fernwood Publishing, Black Point, Nova Scotia.
- Ignace, Marianne, and Ronald Ignace (2017) Secwépemc People, Land and Laws: Yerí7 re Stsq’e’s-kucw. McGill-Queens University Press, Montreal.
Other readings as assigned.
Requisites
Prerequisites
No prerequisite courses.
Corequisites
No corequisite courses.
Equivalencies
No equivalent courses.
Course Guidelines
Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.
Course Transfers
These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca
| Institution | Transfer details for ANTH 1120 |
|---|---|
| Alexander College (ALEX) | ALEX ANTH 1XX (3) |
| Coast Mountain College (CMTN) | CMTN ANTH 112 (3) |
| Coquitlam College (COQU) | COQU ANTH 100 (3) |
| Langara College (LANG) | LANG ANTH 1180 (3) |
| Simon Fraser University (SFU) | SFU SA 2XX (3) |
| Thompson Rivers University (TRU) | TRU ARCH 2230 (3) |
| Trinity Western University (TWU) | TWU ANTH 1XX (3) |
| University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) | UBCO ANTH_O 2nd (3) |
| University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) | UBCV ANTH_V 220 (3) |
| University of Northern BC (UNBC) | UNBC FNST 100 (3) |
| University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) | UFV ANTH 111 (3) |
| University of Victoria (UVIC) | UVIC ANTH 1XX (1.5) |
| Vancouver Island University (VIU) | VIU ANTH 221 (3) |