1. The Colony of Vancouver Island
Founded 1849
The Colony of BC
Founded 1858
due to the discovery of gold in the Fraser Valley (1850s)
British see need to establish a colony to keep the area under British rule

2. Sir James Douglas BC Colonial Governor 1851-1864
Colonial Policies
Responsible for dealing with land treaties with the first Nations, following the outlines of the Royal Proclamation (1763)
Responsible for dealing with First Nation Land Treaties
Sir James Douglas
BC Colonial Governor
Joseph Trutch
BC Colonial Governor

3. COLONIAL POLICIES- Douglas
The Douglas Treaties
He recognized Aboriginal title to land and treaty negotiations
Douglas Treaties
14 treaties on Van. Island
land surrendered for cash, clothing or blankets
Aboriginals kept existing village sites and fields, rights to hunt and fisheries

4. Believed First Nations should have the same rights as British settlers
Douglas fought to defend rights of First Nations land
Believed First Nations should have the same rights as British settlers
Encouraged FNs to pre-empt land
European & American settlers did not like this  Why?
Douglas’ policies weren’t all good…
Valued the idea of assimilating Aboriginals into European culture
Began creating “Indian Reserves”
Area of land given to Aboriginals, but owned by the Crown
He believed this would help the survival of the FNs
Answer: Feared they would take the best land for farming
Image: Aboriginal family at fort Victoria (assimilating to European culture)

5. PRE-EMPT
To pre-empt land (known elsewhere as homesteading) was the main form of land settlement by immigrants in North America. In Canada, British subjects were given 160 acres of land free, as long as they cleared the land and started farming on it. During the Douglas administration, First Nations people were encouraged to pre-empt land, but after Douglas left, the laws were changed to forbid them from pre-empting. (87)

6. Colonial Policies: Trutch
Succeeded Douglas as administrator of FN policies
stated First Nations of BC never owned land
contradicted Royal Proclamation 1763 and the Douglas Treaties
Shared the same general feeling of settlers
land was empty and free for the taking
act of making reserves was a generous gift
removed the right of First Nations to pre-empt land

7. Yes! Another Venn Diagram :D
List the similarities and differences between how Douglas and Trutch dealt with and viewed the Aboriginal peoples in BC.
Douglas
Trutch