Spuzzum: Fraser Canyon Histories, 1808-1939

by Annie York

Living along the banks of the Fraser River, the Nlaka'pamux people of Spuzzum have a long history of contact with non-Aboriginal peoples. In 1808, they hosted Simon Fraser as an overnight guest, they later watched as Hudson's Bay Company employees hacked a path through the mountains for the fur trade, and over time they found themselves in the path of virtually every commercial and government initiative undertaken in the region over the past two centuries.

Juxtaposing historical narratives and cultural interpretation from the community of Spuzzum with archival information, this book explores the history of Spuzzum in the light of concepts central to the Nlaka'pamux definitions of family, political authority, land, and cosmos.

296 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1998