I have not written a blog post for quite some time. Paralysis by analysis has been my issue. Yeah! That's sounds much more interesting than saying I've been lazy. I have had some great ideas about blog posts but, I haven't written about those ideas for one reason or another. Intimidation by family members has occurred. Out respect and maybe a small amount of fear I have chosen to write nothing here. That is changing.
I have written some material but, it's not posted here. It was on my own private blog on myTonidoPlug 2 using an application called "Thots". Then I accidentally bricked my server while attempting to update the operating system and well, I'm still trying to revive that cute little Linux gadget but, my attempts have lead to frustration.
I have had concerns mentioned to me about some of the interesting pieces of information that I've come across. Family members have told me, not asked me, told me that I can't write about some of the things that I have discovered because the things that I had discovered were discovered by other's before me and that the information would show up in a book or several books that various cousins were going to write or are writing. Now, I am not sure if some of the information that I have found was actually discovered before I located it or not. It's possible. More and more information is available of the World Wide Web than ever before. Someone could have found something before me.
All of the information I'm writing about is in the public domain and is information made public by provincial governments as well as the Government of Canada. There's nothing at the "Wikileaks" level of intrigue here. Not even close. I'm not going to be hunted by anyone for sharing what I have found, except maybe by the odd family member for ruining their book. Unlike Julian Assange, who is holed up in an embassy in the United Kingdom, I shall continue to have my freedom. No clandestine or illegal activities took place.
As an amateur genealogist I have sat in front of a computer and searched for information about my family and other topics of interest. I know that some family members have known of the things that I have researched for years. I was able to find the documentation that attests to some of my family's folklore. I have also found documents that show some of what my family believes to have occurred over time is not true and did not happen. I have also discovered and can prove that some people that think they are family are not. People get testy when I tell them that. "Do your own research and see what you come up with," I say. Those people at that point just mumble something, lose interest immediately and wander off.
I have attempted to convince some of my family members interested in writing books to consider blogging. I've also told them to consider putting what they have up on Facebook (Shudder!). I have my issues with Facebook. That's why I'm not on Facebook anymore. I've explained to them that blogging is a way of presenting what you want to say, the way you want to say it, anytime you want to say it. The time table for writing and publishing material through blogging is your own. I've further explained that if you blog material attracts enough attention you might want to consider consolidating blog data into a book. I heard nothing but crickets coming from the other end of the phone! Not really but, the line was silent for a few seconds.
I am amongst the youngest of my cousins. Some of my older cousins are computer literate but, still think that writing a paper book is the way to go to tell the family story and possibly make some money to support further research or what have you. Has anyone written a book yet? No. None of my cousins have book deals with publishers to my knowledge. I don't think anything more than further attempts at intimidation will be forthcoming. At that point it won't matter because I'll have whatever I want to write about published here.
To my family I say: "Yep! I wrote that. Read it and weep. You've had lots of time and you did nothing with it! Someone has to write something before we're all gone. That is what I'm doing. Our tribe has been removed from history. Our family's nobility has been denied time and again by European settlers and everybody else who thinks they are chief of some tribe or another whether that tribe ever existed or not. Yet, you don't want me to write anything because I've never lived on the reserve. Fill your boots! I'm filling mine."
I will attempt to write at least once a month for now. I guarantee that blog posts will be much more frequent than they have been. Will I write about the Weiwaikum Kwiakah Treaty Society? Yes, I soon shall.
Showing posts with label genealogy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label genealogy. Show all posts
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
How much longer shall the injustice(s) continue?
I am a member of the Ahwahoo Tribe of the Laichkwiltach Nation who resides in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory which I know to be the land of the Kwanlin Dun. I respectfully submit that I am not from here. I am from what is now called Campbell River, British Columbia. The Ahwahoo tribe is not recognized today as a legitimate group of people with that group having an identity within the Laichkwiltach Nation. Our ancestors lived in what is now the Campbell River area before what is now known as Indian Reserve #11 existed. Members of the Ahwahoo tribe have many times attempted to bring this discrepancy to the attention of those in power be they native or non-native. The Ahwahoo tribe remains unrecognized regardless of those efforts. How many people are we talking about? With the estimated 7 billionth person estimated to having been born sometime as I write this, the number may appear insignificant to some of those of you that read this blog entry. 350 to 420 people may be identified as a Ahwahoo is they so chose to be enumerated as a member of this tribe.
Those of you reading this blog may be wondering why this is so important to me. This is my family and our history that I am writing about. It is a matter of identification. The lack of recognition in the case of my tribe appears to be a form of genocide. Some may think that is far fetched but, please read on. The Ahwahoo tribe were and are a noble people. Thanks to things like the Indian Act and those that were put in place to supervise the activities that were or were not permitted within the Indian Act. As much as Prime Minister Stephen Harper may choose not believe that colonization occurred, that is exactly what the Indian Act was designed to do! Colonize the indigenous peoples so that their lands and resources can be taken from them in ways they do not understand. Assimilate these people into the general population and wipe out the native question entirely! As much as the Canadian Government apologized for such activity having taken place 13 years ago much has still been left undone.
The Laichkwiltach Nation was made up of five tribes at one time. To my understanding four remain. According to the Vancouver Island 1881 Census those tribes were, as named at that time, the Ah wah oo tribe, the Kwe ah kah tribe, the Waw lit sum tribe, the We wai a kai tribe and the We wai ai kum tribe. These tribes of the Laichkwiltach Nation are not individual First Nations as people would have you believe today. There is and was no such thing as the Weiwaikum First Nation, Kwiakah First Nation and Weiwaikai First Nation. Furthermore I do not believe that the people of the Ahwahoo tribe gave up or surrendered their identity at any time! Prove to me that this in fact the case. If such proof is not immediately forthcoming that immediate reinstate the Ahwahoo tribe of the Laichkwiltach Nation so that we may be recognized as the hereditary people of what is now called Campbell River, British Columbia.
My Great-great Grandfather Captain John Kwaksista or Kwawkseestahla was enumerated in the Vancouver Island 1881 Census along with all who were in his house. Be it also known and recognized by all that look at and read the above linked web page shows Kwawkseestahla's family was listed as "Family Number: 1". Why is this important? Kwawkseestahla was not "a lesser chief" as many would have us believe today. It substantiates the claim(s) made by the hereditary Chief of the Ahwahoo tribe, my uncle, Captain George Quocksister, and his siblings have been making for years.
The man that thoroughly recorded the population within Kwawkewlth Agency in 1881 was Indian Agent George Blenkinsop. From what I have read of what is now historical information recorded by this Indian Agent tells me one thing about Mr. George Blenkinsop. He was painstakingly thorough and dedicated to what he was doing! How do I know that? Over time from I understand his first wife and eight of his nine children died while he lived in Alert Bay, British Columbia. That kind of tragedy would destroy the average man. This man knew adversity and sacrifice! He never left. He stayed on there, remarried and from what I've read, lived out his life there. Apparently he fluently knew the dialects of the people within the Kwawkewlth Agency which means his enumeration of all the people within his agency would have been accurately recorded. Indian Agent George Blenkinsop enumerated 42 members of the Ahwahoo tribe in 1881.
Moving forward to present day, as of September 2011, the current populations of the Campbell River Indian Band, Cape Mudge Indian Band and Kwiakah Tribe can be viewed by clicking on the links provided. The Ahwahoo are sadly mixed in with the Weiwaikum tribe (Not First Nation) and possibly with the Weiwaikai tribe of Cape Mudge unlike all 20 (According to the data I read as of September 2011) of the members of the Kwiakah tribe. Again, 350 to 420 people may be identified as a Ahwahoo is they so chose to be enumerated as a member of the Ahwahoo tribe. You've read what I've written before where I inaccurately wrote that the number of the Kwiakak tribe was 29. It was 19 and according to the data from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada it the Kwiakah may have gained a soul. If the Laich-Kwil-Tach Treaty Society tribes can recognize the tiny Kwiakah tribe, how about the more than up to twenty times larger Ahwahoo tribe?
From what I have learned from my living ancestors who knew their grandparents, my great-grand parents and never heard any of them once say that the Ahwahoo tribe extinguished it's rights then why are we treated as such? Show me the written proof of such! I'll believe it if I can see it. But, I tend to believe my living ancestors claim that no such thing as the Ahwahoo tribe giving up it's identity ever legally occurred!
Another issue that may arise from further review of the way the Ahwahoo tribe has been treated by others is discrimination against members in whole or in part of the Ahwahoo tribe on the prohibited ground of race. June 20, 2011 was a significant day for indigenous peoples in Canada living on reserves in terms of being able to finally address human rights complaints. The Canadian Human Rights Commission may be interested in hearing the Ahwahoo tribe`s case. The fact that the Indian Act is, or at least was, a horrendously discriminatory all by itself as a sad example set before us all. Yet, this poor piece of legislation lives on and affects anyone who is indigenous to any part of all the territory that is now Canada.
Discriminatory practices and behaviours were sadly well modelled ever since the Indian Act was enforced upon native peoples here in what is now called Canada. In the process of such activity could the Ahwahoo tribe been intentionally overlooked? Indian Agents had absolute power. Could that power have been abused? Yes! At any time and in many cases and situations across Canada it was. Could this also be what happened to the Ahwahoo tribe of the Laichkwiltach Nation? I believe this is a question that no one knows the full answer to today. This information was carried to the grave by our Ahwahoo elders.
Again, if I'm wrong. Prove it! Show me that the Ahwahoo tribe no longer legally exists because one of the hereditary chiefs at sometime in history chose to make his mark or sign his signature giving up the rightful identity of the Ahwahoo of what is now called Campbell River, British Columbia. Yes, I am repeating myself. I refuse to be silent about this issue until such time as this occurs. If no such document exists and nobody's come forward to this point to show that it does, then the other three remaining tribes of the Laichkwiltach Nation need to immediately recognize the Ahwahoo tribe and it's people for who we are!
Those of you reading this blog may be wondering why this is so important to me. This is my family and our history that I am writing about. It is a matter of identification. The lack of recognition in the case of my tribe appears to be a form of genocide. Some may think that is far fetched but, please read on. The Ahwahoo tribe were and are a noble people. Thanks to things like the Indian Act and those that were put in place to supervise the activities that were or were not permitted within the Indian Act. As much as Prime Minister Stephen Harper may choose not believe that colonization occurred, that is exactly what the Indian Act was designed to do! Colonize the indigenous peoples so that their lands and resources can be taken from them in ways they do not understand. Assimilate these people into the general population and wipe out the native question entirely! As much as the Canadian Government apologized for such activity having taken place 13 years ago much has still been left undone.
The Laichkwiltach Nation was made up of five tribes at one time. To my understanding four remain. According to the Vancouver Island 1881 Census those tribes were, as named at that time, the Ah wah oo tribe, the Kwe ah kah tribe, the Waw lit sum tribe, the We wai a kai tribe and the We wai ai kum tribe. These tribes of the Laichkwiltach Nation are not individual First Nations as people would have you believe today. There is and was no such thing as the Weiwaikum First Nation, Kwiakah First Nation and Weiwaikai First Nation. Furthermore I do not believe that the people of the Ahwahoo tribe gave up or surrendered their identity at any time! Prove to me that this in fact the case. If such proof is not immediately forthcoming that immediate reinstate the Ahwahoo tribe of the Laichkwiltach Nation so that we may be recognized as the hereditary people of what is now called Campbell River, British Columbia.
My Great-great Grandfather Captain John Kwaksista or Kwawkseestahla was enumerated in the Vancouver Island 1881 Census along with all who were in his house. Be it also known and recognized by all that look at and read the above linked web page shows Kwawkseestahla's family was listed as "Family Number: 1". Why is this important? Kwawkseestahla was not "a lesser chief" as many would have us believe today. It substantiates the claim(s) made by the hereditary Chief of the Ahwahoo tribe, my uncle, Captain George Quocksister, and his siblings have been making for years.
The man that thoroughly recorded the population within Kwawkewlth Agency in 1881 was Indian Agent George Blenkinsop. From what I have read of what is now historical information recorded by this Indian Agent tells me one thing about Mr. George Blenkinsop. He was painstakingly thorough and dedicated to what he was doing! How do I know that? Over time from I understand his first wife and eight of his nine children died while he lived in Alert Bay, British Columbia. That kind of tragedy would destroy the average man. This man knew adversity and sacrifice! He never left. He stayed on there, remarried and from what I've read, lived out his life there. Apparently he fluently knew the dialects of the people within the Kwawkewlth Agency which means his enumeration of all the people within his agency would have been accurately recorded. Indian Agent George Blenkinsop enumerated 42 members of the Ahwahoo tribe in 1881.
Moving forward to present day, as of September 2011, the current populations of the Campbell River Indian Band, Cape Mudge Indian Band and Kwiakah Tribe can be viewed by clicking on the links provided. The Ahwahoo are sadly mixed in with the Weiwaikum tribe (Not First Nation) and possibly with the Weiwaikai tribe of Cape Mudge unlike all 20 (According to the data I read as of September 2011) of the members of the Kwiakah tribe. Again, 350 to 420 people may be identified as a Ahwahoo is they so chose to be enumerated as a member of the Ahwahoo tribe. You've read what I've written before where I inaccurately wrote that the number of the Kwiakak tribe was 29. It was 19 and according to the data from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada it the Kwiakah may have gained a soul. If the Laich-Kwil-Tach Treaty Society tribes can recognize the tiny Kwiakah tribe, how about the more than up to twenty times larger Ahwahoo tribe?
From what I have learned from my living ancestors who knew their grandparents, my great-grand parents and never heard any of them once say that the Ahwahoo tribe extinguished it's rights then why are we treated as such? Show me the written proof of such! I'll believe it if I can see it. But, I tend to believe my living ancestors claim that no such thing as the Ahwahoo tribe giving up it's identity ever legally occurred!
Another issue that may arise from further review of the way the Ahwahoo tribe has been treated by others is discrimination against members in whole or in part of the Ahwahoo tribe on the prohibited ground of race. June 20, 2011 was a significant day for indigenous peoples in Canada living on reserves in terms of being able to finally address human rights complaints. The Canadian Human Rights Commission may be interested in hearing the Ahwahoo tribe`s case. The fact that the Indian Act is, or at least was, a horrendously discriminatory all by itself as a sad example set before us all. Yet, this poor piece of legislation lives on and affects anyone who is indigenous to any part of all the territory that is now Canada.
Discriminatory practices and behaviours were sadly well modelled ever since the Indian Act was enforced upon native peoples here in what is now called Canada. In the process of such activity could the Ahwahoo tribe been intentionally overlooked? Indian Agents had absolute power. Could that power have been abused? Yes! At any time and in many cases and situations across Canada it was. Could this also be what happened to the Ahwahoo tribe of the Laichkwiltach Nation? I believe this is a question that no one knows the full answer to today. This information was carried to the grave by our Ahwahoo elders.
Again, if I'm wrong. Prove it! Show me that the Ahwahoo tribe no longer legally exists because one of the hereditary chiefs at sometime in history chose to make his mark or sign his signature giving up the rightful identity of the Ahwahoo of what is now called Campbell River, British Columbia. Yes, I am repeating myself. I refuse to be silent about this issue until such time as this occurs. If no such document exists and nobody's come forward to this point to show that it does, then the other three remaining tribes of the Laichkwiltach Nation need to immediately recognize the Ahwahoo tribe and it's people for who we are!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The blogging is here to stay. My Facebook account is deactivated.
I should have put up a blog post in May but, failed to do so. I really have no excuse. Life has been getting in the way. This is a good thing. We've had company and completed a prolonged Grade 12 graduation process with everything going well.
I started this blog in November 2009 and I have decided that the blogging will continue. That's sounds kind of funny doesn't it? The blogging will continue until moral improves. That sentence has nothing to do with anything. It just popped into my head and out my fingers onto the keyboard. Ahem! I was initially concerned about privacy but, I'm way less concerned about the privacy of this blog than my privacy on Facebook. The solution was easy. I left Facebook. I enjoyed my time on Facebook and I may go back but, the idea of advertisers having or gaining access to my Facebook profile did not appeal to me. I realize that there are something like 400 million Facebook users and my departure will only have my friends wondering what I'm up to. The fact is Facebook users should be concerned about their profile data. I mean seriously concerned.
Facebook appeared (and still appears) to me to have more problems or issues than they have solutions. Facebook also has issues here in Canada with the Canadian government due to privacy concerns. I chose to deactivate my account. I miss the friends and family that I was connecting with on Facebook. I may go back but, not right now. The downside of leaving Facebook means that I am no longer connected to family members that I was just getting to know. It turns out I have dozens of cousins that I've never met. My father had 13 brothers and sisters! My dad was child #12 and there are only 4 of his siblings including my dad that are left.
I also decided that I have a lot of other things that need my attention. Like this blog for example. I started this blog by writing about my family. By that I mean my entire family! Genealogically speaking I just found 12 more ancestors on my mother's side of my family today. That was two fun finds. I chose to look at two of my ancestors differently and searched based on the new paradigm. 12 more people showed up in search results and have now been added to my family tree. The Internet has made genealogical searches easier and genealogical web sites make locating and organizing data easier as well.
I may move away from the genealogical interests occasionally to other topics of interest. Summer is almost here and that means I'm going to go fly fishing and such. Fun will be had and I will attempt to capture some of that here. Pictures may appear as well. Geotagged ones even! This time last year when I was visiting my family on Vancouver Island I found the Sony GPS logger that matched my Sony DSC-H50B. I now geotag my images whenever it is reason for me to do so. Through the magic of the black box my camera somehow lets the GPS logger know that a picture has been taken and data is created. I don't know how it works. I didn't have to link the GPS logger and camera manually. They appear to talk to each other wirelessly automatically. This process is supposed to work with the Sony DCR-SR47 camcorder we have also. I have not used the GPS logger with the video camera yet.
Yes, I know. Ask me what time it is and I'll tell you how to build a clock. More on that later. I'm off to enjoy June 2010. I'm off Facebook but, I'm still on Twitter. If you use Twitter look me up. VY1CA is my username.
I started this blog in November 2009 and I have decided that the blogging will continue. That's sounds kind of funny doesn't it? The blogging will continue until moral improves. That sentence has nothing to do with anything. It just popped into my head and out my fingers onto the keyboard. Ahem! I was initially concerned about privacy but, I'm way less concerned about the privacy of this blog than my privacy on Facebook. The solution was easy. I left Facebook. I enjoyed my time on Facebook and I may go back but, the idea of advertisers having or gaining access to my Facebook profile did not appeal to me. I realize that there are something like 400 million Facebook users and my departure will only have my friends wondering what I'm up to. The fact is Facebook users should be concerned about their profile data. I mean seriously concerned.
Facebook appeared (and still appears) to me to have more problems or issues than they have solutions. Facebook also has issues here in Canada with the Canadian government due to privacy concerns. I chose to deactivate my account. I miss the friends and family that I was connecting with on Facebook. I may go back but, not right now. The downside of leaving Facebook means that I am no longer connected to family members that I was just getting to know. It turns out I have dozens of cousins that I've never met. My father had 13 brothers and sisters! My dad was child #12 and there are only 4 of his siblings including my dad that are left.
I also decided that I have a lot of other things that need my attention. Like this blog for example. I started this blog by writing about my family. By that I mean my entire family! Genealogically speaking I just found 12 more ancestors on my mother's side of my family today. That was two fun finds. I chose to look at two of my ancestors differently and searched based on the new paradigm. 12 more people showed up in search results and have now been added to my family tree. The Internet has made genealogical searches easier and genealogical web sites make locating and organizing data easier as well.
I may move away from the genealogical interests occasionally to other topics of interest. Summer is almost here and that means I'm going to go fly fishing and such. Fun will be had and I will attempt to capture some of that here. Pictures may appear as well. Geotagged ones even! This time last year when I was visiting my family on Vancouver Island I found the Sony GPS logger that matched my Sony DSC-H50B. I now geotag my images whenever it is reason for me to do so. Through the magic of the black box my camera somehow lets the GPS logger know that a picture has been taken and data is created. I don't know how it works. I didn't have to link the GPS logger and camera manually. They appear to talk to each other wirelessly automatically. This process is supposed to work with the Sony DCR-SR47 camcorder we have also. I have not used the GPS logger with the video camera yet.
Yes, I know. Ask me what time it is and I'll tell you how to build a clock. More on that later. I'm off to enjoy June 2010. I'm off Facebook but, I'm still on Twitter. If you use Twitter look me up. VY1CA is my username.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
What was my great grandfather's last name and how did he spell it?
Most of us have heard the phrase, lyrics or idiom, "Stick and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me." Turns out that's not true! Names have been injuring and killing people for millenia! Yes, names hurt! I knew that when I was a kid. It's the whole reason why people insult each other by name calling. There are so many lies that are told to children for reasons that make entirely no sense in any way whatsoever. It's really rather sad.
I was 7 years old before I could finally, without assistance, spell my last name. I was pretty proud of myself. Quocksister - "Q-U-O-C-K-S-I-S-T-E-R". There it is! All eleven letters of it. Four vowels and 7 consonants. Being able to spell my last name ranked right up there with being able to tie my own shoes and going to the bathroom without assistance. Laugh all you want. A time in your life is coming, hopefully when you are a senior citizen, when you will have to go to the bathroom with assistance, again. Oh, yeah! Someone will also have to tie your shoes for you eventually as well.
Would you be surprised to learn that this name, Quocksister, is a relatively new name? It has only been in existence for approximately 130 to 140 years plus a decade or maybe two. The name Quocksister was given to my great grandfather by people that couldn't spell his last name. Go figure! Changing one's last name occurred in the 1800's and I'm know it still happens today. People that have arrived in Canada have changed their last names because, like my family's last name, may have been difficult to spell or pronounce and sometimes the name change was done to hide something in the past. Is this revisionist history in the making? That's a question I am going to leave for another blog post. I can tell you as an amateur genealogist it makes for finding one's family members and discovering one's family history a challenge.
My name is Kelly David Quocksister. My father's name is David John Quocksister. My grandfather's name was John Quocksister (no known or apparent middle name). My great grandfather's name was George Kwaksistala or, George Kwocksistala, or George Quocksistala or George Quocksister. There are several other variations of my great grandfather's last name before it was changed to Quocksister. If I was alive during the time of my great grandfather I would have asked what name he preferred. I already know the answer. I still would have asked.
Two years ago I learned that the name Quocksister sounds similar to the name of a South African pastry. I wasn't really sure how to take that when I learned of it. So here I am. A child of two races with a last name that almost got me seriously injured in elementary school thinking my last name is a desert? I can tell you that I know the value of a name. For better, or for worse, with God's grace I have made a name for myself with the name Quocksister. I choose to keep this name.
The name Kwaksistala is a powerful name. How do I know that? I've noticed that over the years people have attempted to take this name and use it as their own for personal gain. Get your own name! This one is in use by the true descendants of the original owner. Some members of the Quocksister family have chosen to change their last name back to Kwaksistala. I believe that is a good thing.
So you may be wondering why I bring this issue up. Knowing my great grandfather's name is important to me. It is well known that natives in western Canada are fighting for the return of ancestral lands. There are debates about the wisdom in this. I'm not sure if land claims are a way to solve problems. I do know that land that was and I believe still is my great grandfather's is being disputed over today. This land should be returned to my family.
George Quocksistala passed away December 23, 1921. I am his descendant and I can prove it, as can my cousins.
I was 7 years old before I could finally, without assistance, spell my last name. I was pretty proud of myself. Quocksister - "Q-U-O-C-K-S-I-S-T-E-R". There it is! All eleven letters of it. Four vowels and 7 consonants. Being able to spell my last name ranked right up there with being able to tie my own shoes and going to the bathroom without assistance. Laugh all you want. A time in your life is coming, hopefully when you are a senior citizen, when you will have to go to the bathroom with assistance, again. Oh, yeah! Someone will also have to tie your shoes for you eventually as well.
Would you be surprised to learn that this name, Quocksister, is a relatively new name? It has only been in existence for approximately 130 to 140 years plus a decade or maybe two. The name Quocksister was given to my great grandfather by people that couldn't spell his last name. Go figure! Changing one's last name occurred in the 1800's and I'm know it still happens today. People that have arrived in Canada have changed their last names because, like my family's last name, may have been difficult to spell or pronounce and sometimes the name change was done to hide something in the past. Is this revisionist history in the making? That's a question I am going to leave for another blog post. I can tell you as an amateur genealogist it makes for finding one's family members and discovering one's family history a challenge.
My name is Kelly David Quocksister. My father's name is David John Quocksister. My grandfather's name was John Quocksister (no known or apparent middle name). My great grandfather's name was George Kwaksistala or, George Kwocksistala, or George Quocksistala or George Quocksister. There are several other variations of my great grandfather's last name before it was changed to Quocksister. If I was alive during the time of my great grandfather I would have asked what name he preferred. I already know the answer. I still would have asked.
Two years ago I learned that the name Quocksister sounds similar to the name of a South African pastry. I wasn't really sure how to take that when I learned of it. So here I am. A child of two races with a last name that almost got me seriously injured in elementary school thinking my last name is a desert? I can tell you that I know the value of a name. For better, or for worse, with God's grace I have made a name for myself with the name Quocksister. I choose to keep this name.
The name Kwaksistala is a powerful name. How do I know that? I've noticed that over the years people have attempted to take this name and use it as their own for personal gain. Get your own name! This one is in use by the true descendants of the original owner. Some members of the Quocksister family have chosen to change their last name back to Kwaksistala. I believe that is a good thing.
So you may be wondering why I bring this issue up. Knowing my great grandfather's name is important to me. It is well known that natives in western Canada are fighting for the return of ancestral lands. There are debates about the wisdom in this. I'm not sure if land claims are a way to solve problems. I do know that land that was and I believe still is my great grandfather's is being disputed over today. This land should be returned to my family.
George Quocksistala passed away December 23, 1921. I am his descendant and I can prove it, as can my cousins.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Genealogy and the grandfather I knew.
I have been busy studying and reviewing my family and the families that I represent as a descendant. I was very fortunate to have a lot of excellent material available to me. That is due in part to technology and the Internet in specific. Computers now are cheaper and more power than they ever have been. The digitization of vital statistic records as a result of computers and the Internet linking all this data together has for me made genealogy a fun pursuit. I strongly believe that genealogy and archeology are going to help my family win issues that have been outstanding for far too long.
In 1998 while visiting my father and his wife in Campbell River, British Columbia I was given some really cool information about the native side of my family by Candy-Lea Chickite. This really cool information was in the form of a GEDCOM file. Please click on the GEDCOM link to learn more about what a GEDCOM file is. The file that Candy-Lea gave me was about 50 kilobytes or maybe a bit less. My point here is that this small file of digital information about a part of my family has changed my life.
Researching my families genealogy has help me use the technology I love to study something that I am learning to love even more. My family. I will be referring to my family as families from this point on in this blog post because most of us come from more than one family. As stated in other blog posts my families aren’t perfect. I found out some things about my families that have caused change in my families and mostly for the better.
On February 25, 1909, 101 years ago today my grandfather, Ronald Douglas Bartlett was born in Victoria, British Columbia. No! He’s not 101 years old. He past away February 22, 1992. Today I choose to celebrate my Granddad’s birthday because of what it was that he meant to me and what he still means to me as my grandfather and ancestor. When I was born in 1960 and as I matured in the years that followed it was my grandfather, Ron Bartlett, who was one of the people that helped shape my life.
Sadly, I don’t speak of my grandfather, John Quocksister, as I have no memories of him and little knowledge of him until later in life. Grandfather John Quocksister passed away August 4, 1944 a little more than 16 years before I was born. My dad was 10 years old at the time. His wife, Susan (Ne: Assu) Quocksister passed away December 23, 1938. The loss of my grandparents in the Quocksister family and the impact(s) of their departures is something that I am still coming to understand in being rather large. That is why I do not speak of my Quocksister grandparents. I never had the pleasure of meeting them. From what I understand and am told, they were excellent people. I just realized that my dad was 12 of 14. Heh! So much for "7 of 9" from Star Trek. My dad is "12 of 14". So there!
I think Grandma Susan should have received a medal like the Order of Canada or something. She gave birth to 14 children before she passed away! Like I said, I think the lady should be decorated and now, posthumously, of course. I wonder how many more kids she and Granddad John would have had if they both remained alive to be old together and die after living 80 years or something like that? Frightening! I mean wow.
My Bartlett grandparents I knew well. Back to Granddad Ron Bartlett whose birthday is today. My grandfather Ron Bartlett was one of the fairest men than I have ever known. He treated everyone and I do mean everyone with respect. I believe from my own observations as a child that he showed respect and grace to people that did not ever treat him so well. I found that to be truly amazing as a child. My respect for my one remaining grandfather was huge! He was an impressive man.
My grandfather was Postmaster of the Campbell River Post Office until I think is was 1972 or 1973. He served 55 years with in what is now called Canada Post. I don’t believe that my grandfather worked the whole 55 years. He was accredited with time as I recall that worked out to 55 years. I know that he worked well over 50 years. I remember he received a medallion and a Seiko watch along with a letter of citation or some such thing. I don’t know where any of that stuff is now. Hopefully someone in the family still has the medallion. It was impressive.
My favourite times with my Granddad were when he and Grandma would take my brother and I (and later my baby sister) along with them on summer holiday camping trips that normally occurred ever year in August. We would load up my grandparents camper, say good bye to my mother and down the Island Highway we would head to Nanaimo to catch the ferry to the mainland. One of the few times that I saw my grandparents fight was navigating through Vancouver. I love GPS receivers. They really are relationship savers. Ask my wife.
Grandma would have the map sprawled out on the dash on the right side of the truck cab. My Granddad was fuming and driving on the left side of the truck and my brother and I sat very quietly in the middle. Scary times then and funny memories now. I think the funniest part is that husband – wife navigation changed little before the advent of Global Positioning System satellites and receivers. If Granddad was alive now and saw how Girlie and I travel he would just shake his head, laugh to himself and says something like, “Kids these days”. “Turn right in 800 metres”, says the TomTom GPS receiver and Girlie reads the GPS screen, tells me the cross street and we turn right, in 800 metres. No arguing and no fussing except, when I miss the turn. It happens! Ask anyone with any experience in GPS navigation and they’ll tell you the same thing. Trust the machine.
On one trip my brother Kirby and I were travelling with our grandparents and I recall the time was about 9:30 in the morning. Kirby and I were sitting between my grandparents in the cab of the truck and we couldn’t keep our eyes open. We both sat their with our eyes closing involuntarily in the bright morning sunshine. Our grandparents were not impressed. They promised us that beatings would soon follow if we youngster didn’t open our eyes! Kirby and I burst into tears immediately telling our grandparents that we weren’t sleeping and we wanted to open our eyes but, we were having serious problems doing so.
My Granddad was the calmer of my grandparents and recommended to my Grandma that my brother and I should go see a doctor and find out what’s wrong. We stopped in a town in the Interior of British Columbia (I don’t remember where.) and my grandparents found a doctor that would see my brother and I. It turned out that my brother and I had pretty much sunburned our retinas playing on a lakeshore the day before. Our reward? Sunglasses! We had no problems keeping our eyes open with sunglasses on. Kirby and I took it easy on our eyes after that day.
Later in my grandfather’s life a sad tale played itself out that was very hard to watch. I remember being told in 1987 by my grandfather that he had Alzheimer’s Disease. What an amazing man! He told me so that I would understand what was to come. It was difficult for me to watch one of my heroes in life lose his mind and he was the only one that didn’t know it. There were fun times even with the Alzheimer’s and my grandfather.
In 1988 my grandparents were living in Westbank which has since been swallowed up by Kelowna and I was driving my grandparents Volkswagen Jetta. We were almost in Vernon. My grandmother was navigating on the right, as she always did ever since I was a knee high kid, and my grandfather was sitting in the back seat. It was nearing lunch and all three of us were expressing hunger issues. Grandma and I were looking for a restaurant to stop and have lunch at.
My grandfather moved forward from the back seat, reached forward with his right hand and, while giving me a pat on the shoulder said, “I don’t know who you are but, we’re sure having a good time.” My Grandma and I laughed with my Granddad. Looking back on the moment now the memory brings tears to my eyes. My Granddad had a good day and didn’t even know it. He wasn’t sad. He was having a good time. I had accomplished what I had sent out as a goal of helping my Granddad enjoy his later years.
Thank you Candy-Lea Chickite for the gift that I am still very much enjoying in studying my family roots. Thank you Granddad for the excellent man that you were and always will be to me.
Happy birthday, Granddad. Before the sand ran out you lived a wonderful life.
In 1998 while visiting my father and his wife in Campbell River, British Columbia I was given some really cool information about the native side of my family by Candy-Lea Chickite. This really cool information was in the form of a GEDCOM file. Please click on the GEDCOM link to learn more about what a GEDCOM file is. The file that Candy-Lea gave me was about 50 kilobytes or maybe a bit less. My point here is that this small file of digital information about a part of my family has changed my life.
Researching my families genealogy has help me use the technology I love to study something that I am learning to love even more. My family. I will be referring to my family as families from this point on in this blog post because most of us come from more than one family. As stated in other blog posts my families aren’t perfect. I found out some things about my families that have caused change in my families and mostly for the better.
On February 25, 1909, 101 years ago today my grandfather, Ronald Douglas Bartlett was born in Victoria, British Columbia. No! He’s not 101 years old. He past away February 22, 1992. Today I choose to celebrate my Granddad’s birthday because of what it was that he meant to me and what he still means to me as my grandfather and ancestor. When I was born in 1960 and as I matured in the years that followed it was my grandfather, Ron Bartlett, who was one of the people that helped shape my life.
Sadly, I don’t speak of my grandfather, John Quocksister, as I have no memories of him and little knowledge of him until later in life. Grandfather John Quocksister passed away August 4, 1944 a little more than 16 years before I was born. My dad was 10 years old at the time. His wife, Susan (Ne: Assu) Quocksister passed away December 23, 1938. The loss of my grandparents in the Quocksister family and the impact(s) of their departures is something that I am still coming to understand in being rather large. That is why I do not speak of my Quocksister grandparents. I never had the pleasure of meeting them. From what I understand and am told, they were excellent people. I just realized that my dad was 12 of 14. Heh! So much for "7 of 9" from Star Trek. My dad is "12 of 14". So there!
I think Grandma Susan should have received a medal like the Order of Canada or something. She gave birth to 14 children before she passed away! Like I said, I think the lady should be decorated and now, posthumously, of course. I wonder how many more kids she and Granddad John would have had if they both remained alive to be old together and die after living 80 years or something like that? Frightening! I mean wow.
My Bartlett grandparents I knew well. Back to Granddad Ron Bartlett whose birthday is today. My grandfather Ron Bartlett was one of the fairest men than I have ever known. He treated everyone and I do mean everyone with respect. I believe from my own observations as a child that he showed respect and grace to people that did not ever treat him so well. I found that to be truly amazing as a child. My respect for my one remaining grandfather was huge! He was an impressive man.
My grandfather was Postmaster of the Campbell River Post Office until I think is was 1972 or 1973. He served 55 years with in what is now called Canada Post. I don’t believe that my grandfather worked the whole 55 years. He was accredited with time as I recall that worked out to 55 years. I know that he worked well over 50 years. I remember he received a medallion and a Seiko watch along with a letter of citation or some such thing. I don’t know where any of that stuff is now. Hopefully someone in the family still has the medallion. It was impressive.
My favourite times with my Granddad were when he and Grandma would take my brother and I (and later my baby sister) along with them on summer holiday camping trips that normally occurred ever year in August. We would load up my grandparents camper, say good bye to my mother and down the Island Highway we would head to Nanaimo to catch the ferry to the mainland. One of the few times that I saw my grandparents fight was navigating through Vancouver. I love GPS receivers. They really are relationship savers. Ask my wife.
Grandma would have the map sprawled out on the dash on the right side of the truck cab. My Granddad was fuming and driving on the left side of the truck and my brother and I sat very quietly in the middle. Scary times then and funny memories now. I think the funniest part is that husband – wife navigation changed little before the advent of Global Positioning System satellites and receivers. If Granddad was alive now and saw how Girlie and I travel he would just shake his head, laugh to himself and says something like, “Kids these days”. “Turn right in 800 metres”, says the TomTom GPS receiver and Girlie reads the GPS screen, tells me the cross street and we turn right, in 800 metres. No arguing and no fussing except, when I miss the turn. It happens! Ask anyone with any experience in GPS navigation and they’ll tell you the same thing. Trust the machine.
On one trip my brother Kirby and I were travelling with our grandparents and I recall the time was about 9:30 in the morning. Kirby and I were sitting between my grandparents in the cab of the truck and we couldn’t keep our eyes open. We both sat their with our eyes closing involuntarily in the bright morning sunshine. Our grandparents were not impressed. They promised us that beatings would soon follow if we youngster didn’t open our eyes! Kirby and I burst into tears immediately telling our grandparents that we weren’t sleeping and we wanted to open our eyes but, we were having serious problems doing so.
My Granddad was the calmer of my grandparents and recommended to my Grandma that my brother and I should go see a doctor and find out what’s wrong. We stopped in a town in the Interior of British Columbia (I don’t remember where.) and my grandparents found a doctor that would see my brother and I. It turned out that my brother and I had pretty much sunburned our retinas playing on a lakeshore the day before. Our reward? Sunglasses! We had no problems keeping our eyes open with sunglasses on. Kirby and I took it easy on our eyes after that day.
Later in my grandfather’s life a sad tale played itself out that was very hard to watch. I remember being told in 1987 by my grandfather that he had Alzheimer’s Disease. What an amazing man! He told me so that I would understand what was to come. It was difficult for me to watch one of my heroes in life lose his mind and he was the only one that didn’t know it. There were fun times even with the Alzheimer’s and my grandfather.
In 1988 my grandparents were living in Westbank which has since been swallowed up by Kelowna and I was driving my grandparents Volkswagen Jetta. We were almost in Vernon. My grandmother was navigating on the right, as she always did ever since I was a knee high kid, and my grandfather was sitting in the back seat. It was nearing lunch and all three of us were expressing hunger issues. Grandma and I were looking for a restaurant to stop and have lunch at.
My grandfather moved forward from the back seat, reached forward with his right hand and, while giving me a pat on the shoulder said, “I don’t know who you are but, we’re sure having a good time.” My Grandma and I laughed with my Granddad. Looking back on the moment now the memory brings tears to my eyes. My Granddad had a good day and didn’t even know it. He wasn’t sad. He was having a good time. I had accomplished what I had sent out as a goal of helping my Granddad enjoy his later years.
Thank you Candy-Lea Chickite for the gift that I am still very much enjoying in studying my family roots. Thank you Granddad for the excellent man that you were and always will be to me.
Happy birthday, Granddad. Before the sand ran out you lived a wonderful life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)