Kamloops Wawa pictures, part 18: The Indian chiefs of British Columbia
Another of the precious, and popular, photos in “Kamloops Wawa”, the Chinook Jargon newspaper, showed its readers much more than the caption told.
(Click here for all installments in this series!)
This photograph of a large gathering of “the Indian chiefs of British Columbia” reveals the close ties between these respected Indigenous leaders and the Catholic missionary priests who worked with them.
In some cases, such as with Father JMR Le Jeune of Kamloops (and of “Kamloops Wawa”), a priest worked for years and years as a helper to chiefs such as Louis Clexlixqen of Kamloops and Johnny Chilihitsa of Spahomin/Douglas Lake.
Le Jeune is still remembered as someone who worked to get these leaders heard by the colonial-Settler government, and by the Pope in Rome.
Oh, by the way —
The great majority of the conversations between these leaders and priests was in Chinuk Wawa.
This language was good enough for them. Will you honour our heritage by learning it?
