People of the saltwater : an ethnography of git lax m'oon / Charles R. Menzies.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A 2017 Choice Outstanding Academic Title



In People of the Saltwater , Charles R. Menzies explores the history of an ancient Tsimshian community, focusing on the people and their enduring place in the modern world. The Gitxaała Nation has called the rugged north coast of British Columbia home for millennia, proudly maintaining its territory and traditional way of life.



People of the Saltwater first outlines the social and political relations that constitute Gitxaała society. Although these traditionalist relations have undergone change, they have endured through colonialism and the emergence of the industrial capitalist economy. It is of fundamental importance to this society to link its past to its present in all spheres of life, from its understanding of its hereditary leaders to the continuance of its ancient ceremonies.



Menzies then turns to a discussion of an economy based on natural-resource extraction by examining fisheries and their central importance to the Gitxaałas' cultural roots. Not only do these fisheries support the Gitxaała Nation economically, they also serve as a source of distinct cultural identity. Menzies's firsthand account describes the group's place within cultural anthropology and the importance of its lifeways, traditions, and histories in nontraditional society today.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This is possibly one of the best anthropology books this reviewer has read in a while. Menzies (anthropology, Univ. of British Columbia) skillfully weaves together his own experiences as a community member with his ethnographic, historical, legal, and archaeological academic research on (and with) the Gitxaala. Beginning with more general discussions of the Gitxaala--including the evolution of the ethnonym, governance, territory (terrestrial and aquatic), oral history, and fishing--Menzies illustrates their nexus, situated within politico-legal contexts, through discussions of herring, abalone, and salmon--all valued resources and cultural symbols of his people. The author also provides a valuable methodological discussion not only for those working on the Northwest Coast, but beyond as well. Perhaps the closest book in this regard, and highlighting its value beyond the region, is Allice Legat's Walking the Land, Feeding the Fire (CH, Dec'12, 50-2267). Similar books regionally, but not with the same breadth, are John Sutton Lutz's Makuk (2008), Cole Harris's Making Native Space (CH, Jan'03, 40-2981), and Douglas Harris's Landing Native Fisheries (2008). This very accessible read clearly discusses concepts well for those with no background knowledge as well as for scholars, and would be an exemplar of contemporary ethnography in Indigenous North America if it did not set the bar so high in terms of variety of research. Summing Up: Essential. All academic levels/libraries. --Mark Ebert, Native Law Centre of Canada