History and folklore of the Cowichan Indians


Title Cover Image: History and folklore of the Cowichan Indians

In the late 1800s, Martha Douglas Harris, the daughter of the former governor of British Columbia, observed that "civilization" was destroying the "native dignity and wholesome life" of the Cowichan tribe of Vancouver, "substituting much evil for the real good found in their former customs and character." She herself was part Cree Indian-a fact that her father was none too eager to make public. But he and her mother had long since passed away, and so she wrote this book of 20 folktales in 1901, partly to honor her Native American heritage

Author(s): Martha Douglas Harris, Margaret C. Maclure (Illustrator)
Document: Book · Hardcover · ONLINE CIRC [ 1 ]
Edition: 1st Edition
Published: 1901
Physical Description: 89, [1] pages frontispiece, illustrations 21 cm
Genre: Folklore
Notes:

Statement ofresponsibility from front coverNote on title page verso signed: M.D.H

Contents:

The story of the first man on earth Sowittan, or the grumbler The story of the flood by the Cowichan Indians History of the Cowichans The war song The story of Quamichan Scallighan, or the thunder and lightning bird The adventures of a young man with crooked eyes The story of ten brothers and the sea lion The story of Semmelth Stetalht, or Spirit people Chee-che-ka, with translation Chiltsop, or Fire-stick Children of the moon Folk lore of Cree Indians Wie-sah-ke-chack The story of the four winds The enchanted bear Chis-tapistaquhn, or the rolling head The two sisters The adventures of Hyas

Subjects:

Autochtones Colombie-Britannique Folklore, British Columbia, Contes Colombie-Britannique, Cowichan (Indiens) Légendes, Cowichan Folklore, Cowichan Histoire, Cowichan Indians, Cowichan Indians Folklore, Cowichan Indians History, Folklore, History, Tales, Tales British Columbia

 

Circulation

Here are a list of places where this title can be found and the various formats it can be found in.

Collection Resource Available Edition Published Publisher
Internet Archive: Books Book Digital 1st Edition 1909 Victoria, B.C., The Colonist printing and publishing company, limited liability

 

Last updated: 2025-09-19