A Sikh cremation ceremony in 1907. See here.
A Sikh cremation ceremony in 1907. See here.
Tod Inlet and its surrounding area has long been a place of intense interest for many of us. It represents layers of history, layers of human presence, a home place for myriad plants, animals and fungi, a convergence of marine and terrestrial habitats, and a convergence of nature, industry and horticultural beauty. Its SENĆOŦEN name, SṈIDȻEȽ, translates as “Place of the Blue Grouse,” reflecting the human–nature interface of this remarkable place.
This book presents a story of immense complexity about a relatively small place, at once special and typical, told with clarity and authority by one who knows it intimately. David Gray, with his background as wildlife biologist and heritage consultant, understands what research entails, and has had the imagination and insights to bring together diverse information drawn from human history and natural history into this compelling and fascinating narrative. Who would have thought, when David and his brother, Jamie, uncovered some pig skulls at Tod Inlet as young boys, that their discovery would initiate a lifelong quest to better know and understand this place, its environmental features and its historical richness? His book is a result of that quest, that curiosity ignited all those years ago and brought to fruition over half a century later.
We have known David over most of that time (in Nancy’s case, as fellow members of the Victoria Junior Natural History group since the early 1960s; for Robert, as friends and fellow students at the University of Victoria), and we are both delighted to see the results of his meticulous search for knowledge and understanding of this unique place. This book, begun as a questioning spark so many years ago, is a perfect gift to Canadians and world citizens of the 2020s. At a time when the knowledge and history of Indigenous peoples are finally being recognized in mainstream society—when “reconciliation” is a household word across Canada—and when the histories of those of Asian heritage, including labourers and immigrants, are gaining wider attention, recognition and appreciation, this book about Tod Inlet is right on target.
David chronicles the deep and enduring relationships of the Tsartlip and other W̱SÁNEĆ peoples with the inlet and its surrounding lands and waters, which have been their territory since time immemorial. Starting with the archaeological sites—evidence of ancient reliance on the resources of Tod Inlet—he then describes more recent occupation and use by the Tsartlip people, and follows with documentation of the surveys and geological assessments that gave rise to the establishment of the industrial cement works and the associated influx of newcomers. The rise and decline of the cement works and nearby settlements, the associated shipping and other transportation, geological and chemical features of cement, links to diverse places and historical events, fishing and hunting activities, and personal experiences are all described in detail, culminating in the replacement of the cement works by the world-famous Butchart Gardens, the establishment of a superb, ecologically diverse provincial park of nearly 3,200 acres, and the revisiting of the long-standing claims of the Tsartlip to their traditional lands.
In his careful and respectful search for information and understanding, along with his own on-the-ground investigations, David interviewed and read letters and accounts from dozens of individuals, not only from the developers and owners of the cement plants and related industries that dominated the area for decades, but from historians, ethnographers and residents and their relatives. One treasure trove of information was a “scattering of wet and mouldy papers in the old cement company office in the late 1960s.” In particular, he describes the experiences of those who lived in crowded substandard housing and laboured in the quarries, in the factory buildings and on the docks, digging limestone, carrying heavy sacks of cement, making the best out of difficult, perhaps lonely circumstances. Chinese labourers and, later, Sikhs from Punjab and other regions of India, were drawn to the opportunities for earning wages. Some of them stayed for substantial periods, while others moved on quickly, but in the end, the cement plants closed down and most left for good. David’s narrative brings the human side of this fascinating story to life. No longer can anyone think of the workers or their families as faceless statistics; now they have personality and each has a separate story to tell.
It is entirely appropriate that the Royal BC Museum should publish this book, because it integrates the broad spectrum of what makes up BC’s heritage, both social and natural, and covers all the areas of research and exhibition encompassed at the museum. Not only is Tod Inlet itself a fascinating place of enduring interest, but, in a sense, this place and its history represents a history of “everyplace.” It is a microcosm of historical and ecological interactions that could be chronicled for dozens of small communities across Canada and beyond. Reading it, you will not only be informed about Tod Inlet, but moved by the humanity and beauty that are so much a part of this engaging story.
Nancy J. Turner CM, OBC, PhD, FRSC
Distinguished Professor Emeritus,
University of Victoria
Robert D. Turner MS, FRCGS
Curator Emeritus, Royal BC Museum