Gold on Haida Gwaii: The first Prospects, 1849-53

Abstract

The paper examines the first gold rush in British Columbia to, to Haida Gwaii. It outlines the influx of british and American expeditions, but focusses on the responses of the Haida to these incursions. The paper argues that these responses varied, but that the Haida sought to assert indigenous patterns of ownership, and control the terms of access by external agents to Haida Gwaii and its resources.