Jane Constance Cook

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Jane Constance Cook (Ga’axstal’as) (1870 – 1951) was a First Nations leader and activist of the Kwakwakaʼwakw people.

Biography[]

The daughter of a KKwakwakaʼwakw noblewoman and a white fur trader, she was born on Vancouver Island and was raised by a missionary couple. Her education included knowledge of the law. She trained as a midwife and a healer. She had a good understanding of the culture of indigenous peoples as well as that of the colonists and well-developed literacy skills.

Cook worked to preserve land and resource rights for her people in the face of colonialism and advocated for the rights of women and children.[1][2]

She testified before the McKenna–McBride Royal Commission, which was established to review indigenous people's land rights in British Columbia.[1]

She was the only woman to serve on the executive of the Allied Tribes of British Columbia.[1]

Her criticism of traditional practices and support of the potlatch ban resulted in loss of status for her and her descendants.[3]

Standing up with G̲a'ax̱sta'las[]

In 2012, the University of British Columbia Press published Standing Up with G̲a'ax̱sta'las on her life and impact on future generations. The book was on the short list for the François-Xavier Garneau Medal and received the Aboriginal History Prize and the Erminie Wheeler-Voegelin Prize from the Canadian Historical Association and the Canadian Committee on Women’s History book award.[4]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Canada's Great Women". Canada's History. Markham, Ontario: Canada's History Society. January 8, 2016. Ga’axstal’as, Jane Constance Cook (1870–1951). Retrieved 23 Feb 2020.
  2. ^ Jenainati, Cathia; Groves, Judy; Milton, Jem (2019). Feminism: A Graphic Guide. London: Icon Books. p. 73. ISBN 978-1785784910 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Raptis, Helen (2016). What We Learned: Two Generations Reflect on Tsimshian Education and the Day Schools. with members of the Tsimshin Nation. Canada: UBC Press. pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-0-7748-3022-5 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "Standing Up with G̲a'ax̱sta'las" (Information about the book). UBC Press. Retrieved 23 Feb 2020.
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