Mapping My Way Home: A Gitxsan History

by Neil J. Sterritt

Born and raised in Gitxsan territory in northwestern British Columbia, Neil J. Sterritt records the history of a people from the ancient stories of migration and settlement to the seismic changes brought when the adjacent villages of Gitanmaax and Hazelton became the economic hub of the region 140 years ago. From Port Essington on the coast to the Omineca gold fields, from Quesnel to Telegraph Creek, Sterritt tells how the trails and the cultures of the north converged where the Skeena meets the Bulkley. In Mapping My Way Home: A Gitxsan History, he also shares his own journey from the wooden sidewalks of 1940s Hazelton to the world of international mining and back again to the Gitxsan ancestral village of Temlaham where he helped his people fight for what had always been theirs in the landmark Delgamuukw court case.

Genres: Indigenous, History

384 pages, Hardcover

Published April 2, 2016

About the author

Neil J. Sterritt was born and raised in Hazelton, British Columbia and lived for many years at Temlaham Ranch, a Gitxsan ancestral village site. He is a member of the House of Gitluudaahlxw and was president of the Gitxsan-Wet’suwet’en Tribal Council from 1981 to 1987, key years in the lead up to the precedent-setting aboriginal rights case known as Delgamuukw vs. BC. He writes extensively on aboriginal rights and governance and serves as a consultant to many aboriginal organizations around the world. In 2008 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Toronto. He lives with his wife, Barbara, near Williams Lake, BC.

Reviews

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

In depth overview/history of a model for change.

[Niesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent for those of us trying to reconnect to our heritage as Gitxsan