The life and legacy of Indigenous leader Maquinna

The late 1700s were a transformative time for the Indigenous Peoples of Vancouver Island. Their world was suddenly changed when Europeans arrived on the shores, looking for maritime furs.

Greeting those Europeans was Maquinna (also spelled Maquilla), one of the most important Indigenous leaders of the pre-colonial era of Canada.

It is not known when Maquinna was born, but it is believed to have been in the 1760s in the area of Nootka Sound, where he spent most of his life. It is also thought he became chief after the death of his father, Anapa, in 1778.

Maquinna seemed born to lead. He was skilled in forging alliances, choosing to marry the daughter of his rival, Wickaninnis. He was known to be a great whaler and spiritual guide and formed great relationships with the Indigenous groups around him.

The first record of Maquinna comes from Captain James Cook, who met with an Indigenous chief in the area but did not state his name. Many assume that the man he met with was Maquinna.

Cook had expected easy trading with the Indigenous people, but he soon found that Maquinna and his people demanded fair payment and were not to be taken advantage of. Cook had such a friendly visit during the month he was in Maquinna’s territory that he named the area Friendly Cove.

The pelts that Cook bought were sold in China at a considerable profit. With that, the maritime fur trade had begun.

Nootka Sound became an important centre for the maritime sea trade, albeit briefly, and various European powers all began competing for this lucrative market. Maquinna controlled that fur trade in his area, aided by the 400 men he had at his disposal in his army.

At first, only the British traded with Maquinna, but as the profits grew from trading, Spanish and American ships soon arrived in Nootka Sound.

John Meares arrived in the area in 1788 on his voyages, exploring Nootka Sound and the coast. Meares described Maquinna, saying he “appeared to be about 30 years of a middle size, but extremely well made and possessing a countenance that was formed to interest all who saw him.”

Meares also established a brief trading post in the area, which Chinese workers built. These were the first Chinese to arrive in present-day BC.

One year later, the Spanish arrived, and Esteban Jose Martinez of the Spanish Navy claimed Nootka Sound for Spain. He built Fort San Miguel and established the settlement of Santa Cruz de Nuca.

Maquinna understood the power that he now had as the middleman between the different forces. He quickly began to learn the European languages to gain an advantage over the other Indigenous people in the area in negotiations. He was also able to manipulate competition between traders, driving prices up.

By 1792, he controlled a trading network that stretched from Vancouver Island’s east coast to BC’s coast. His people would travel across the islands off the coast to purchase furs, which were then sold to the crews that visited Nootka.

Unfortunately, Meares’ trading in Nootka Sound was being done under the Portuguese flag and not sanctioned by either London or Spain.

This caused an international dispute in 1789 between Britain and Spain over who had rights to navigation and trade in the region. It eventually escalated into what is known as the Nootka Crisis, which inched slowly toward open war.

The Dutch joined the British, and France joined Spain. Then, the French backed off, and without their help, Spain couldn’t ensure defeat over the British and Dutch, so the crisis was resolved peacefully with agreements allowing British and Spanish subjects to trade up to 10 leagues from the coast. Spain also renounced exclusive trade rights and land claims in the area.

After the Nootka Crisis, Maquinna was crucial in Spanish and British relations.

In 1791, an American captain, John Kendrick, traded for some land from Maquinna. President Thomas Jefferson saw this trade as a basis for American sovereignty over the land. Eventually, the maritime fur trade faded as Europeans explored and exploited new areas.

After the Europeans and Americans left Nootka Sound in 1795, Maquinna and his people destroyed the buildings and reasserted their dominance over the area.

In September 1795, Charles Bishop reported that an Indigenous village at Yuquot and Maquinna was very ill. A few weeks later, Bishop was told by Wickannish that Maquinna had died.

It is known that Maquinna worshiped at the Yuquot Whalers Shrine, performing ritual purification to gain strength to hunt whales and attract drift whales to his beaches.

This shrine was moved from its traditional area in 1904 and transported to the American Museum of Natural History, where it has never been on display but remains to this day. Efforts are ongoing to bring the structure back to Canada and to its traditional area.

In 1987, Maquinna was designated as a National Historic Person. In 2018, a commemorative coin depicting Captain Cook and Maquinna was released.

Today, Maquinna is honoured with the Maquinna Marine Provincial Park, Maquinna Elementary School, Chief Maquinna Elementary School and the Maquinna active submarine mud volcano located west of Vancouver Island.