The Adventures and Sufferings of John R. Jewitt, Captive of Maquinna, originally published in 1815 and expertly annotated and illustrated by Hilary Stewart in 1987, is a classic maritime captivity narrative set on the rugged coast of Vancouver Island. The book recounts the harrowing two-year ordeal of an English blacksmith who survived an 1803 attack on his trading ship and was integrated into the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation under Chief Maquinna. Ultimately, enhanced by Stewart’s detailed ethnographic drawings and historical context, it serves as an invaluable firsthand account of early European contact and traditional Indigenous life in the Pacific Northwest.

British Columbia, History, Indian captivities, Indians of North America British Columbia Captivities, Indiens Amérique du Nord Colombie-Britannique Captifs, Jewitt, John R. 1783-1821, Nootka, Nootka Captifs, Nuu-chah-nulth Indians, Nuu-chah-nulth Indians Captivities