In his new book, People of the Saltwater, UBC Anthropology professor Charles Menzies explores the history of Gitxaala, a Tsimshianic community on BC’s north coast, focusing on the people and their enduring place in the modern world.
The Gitxaala Nation has called the rugged north coast of British Columbia home for millennia, proudly maintaining its territory and traditional way of life.
Inspired by his family’s stories of the Gitxaala and his personal connection to the British Columbia’s north west coast, Menzies discusses the social and political relations that have shaped the Gitxaala society through colonialism and the emergence of the industrial capitalist economy. The later section of the book examines the importance of fisheries for not only the Gitxaala Nation’s economy, but for their cultural roots and identity. Menzies’s firsthand account describes the group’s place within cultural anthropology and the importance of its lifeways, traditions, and histories in nontraditional society today.
Listen to Menzies’ interview with northern radio station CFNR FM:
The book can be ordered from Nebraska University Press or Amazon. For more information, please visit People of the Saltwater.
Description source: People of the Saltwater
