Potlatch at Gitsegukla: William Beynon's 1945 Field Notebooks

Dave Hutchinson is assistant superintendent of the School District of
Mystery Lake in Thompson, Manitoba.

As collections of anthropological field notes go, Potlatch at Gitsegukla
is certainly an intriguing text. What makes William Beynon’s
anthropological work unique is the fact that he was born of a Welsh
father and a Tsimshian mother in 1888. Through his parents’
influences, Beynon received an English education in Victoria and was
immersed in coastal Tsimshian culture and language in his mother’s
home community of Port Simpson.

Beynon first developed an interest in documenting the history and
traditions of his people in 1915, and his anthropological career
essentially climaxed with his record of the 1945 Gitsegukla potlatches
and pole raisings. What makes Beynon’s work more fascinating is the
fact that he participated in the ceremonies as a Laxibu chief and had an
intimate knowledge of the culture and language of the Gitsegukla people.


Anthropologists in aboriginal communities have come under fire of late
for falsely assuming objectivity and political neutrality, and for acts
of cultural appropriation. Here is an excellent example of precisely the
opposite: Beynon, an aboriginal ethnographer, produced detailed notes of
a historical and cultural event that he was a direct participant in. In
this role, Beynon was both observer and informant, and his intimate
knowledge of Tsimshian culture led to the development of field
observations unlike any that an apparently detached nonaboriginal
anthropologist would be capable of producing. His discussions of
intercommunity rivalry, the clan system, and the rift between Elders and
the younger men over traditional practices are clearly the
interpretations of an insider.

Also noteworthy is Benyon’s interest in work that could best be
described as culturally restorative. The events at Gitsegukla were
specifically in reaction to flooding that had destroyed a number of
totem poles. Some of the poles had been recovered, and an elaborate
pole-raising ceremony was planned. Beynon helped plan this event and
then took meticulous notes in both English and Tsimshian, thus providing
an invaluable (and rare) cultural record.

Those interested in cultural anthropology, Canadian West Coast
aboriginal culture and history, and postcolonial approaches to
ethnography should definitely read this book.