Cumshewa

Cumshewa, also Go'mshewah, Cummashawa, Cummashawaas, Cumchewas, and Gumshewa, was an important hereditary leader of the Haida people of Haida Gwaii on the North Coast of what is now British Columbia, Canada.[1][2] His name is believed to be of either Kwak'wala or Heiltsuk (Bella Bella) origin, meaning "rich at the mouth of the river".[3][4] He is mentioned by Captain George Dixon, who traded with him in 1787.[5] In 1794, Cumshewa and his warriors massacred the crew of the American vessel Resolution.[6][7]

Legacy

Cumshewa is commemorated on modern maps of the archipelago by several places named for him, including Cumshewa Inlet, Cumshewa Mountain, Cumshewa Head (a point), Cumshewa Island, the Cumshewa Rocks, and the modern First Nations locality of Cumshewa (which is on the inlet of that name).[3]

References

1. Malloy, Mary (1998). "Boston Men" on the Northwest Coast: The American Maritime Fur Trade 1788-1844. Limestone Press. ISBN 978-1-895901-18-4.
2. The Washington Historical Quarterly. Washington University State Historical Society. 1921.
3. "Civilization.ca - Haida - Southern villages - Cumshewa". www.historymuseum.ca. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
4. MacDonald, George F. (2013-12-01). Chiefs of the Sea and Sky: Haida Heritage Sites of the Queen Charlotte Islands. UBC Press. ISBN 978-0-7748-5067-4.
5. Birx, H. James (2005-12-08). Encyclopedia of Anthropology: FIVE-VOLUME SET. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1-5063-2003-8.
6. Snow, Elliot (1986-01-01). Adventures at Sea in the Great Age of Sail: Five Firsthand Narratives. Courier Corporation. ISBN 978-0-486-25177-6.
7. Woodcock, George (1990). British Columbia: A History of the Province. Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 978-0-88894-702-4.

• "Cumshewa Inlet". BC Geographical Names.