Tsemsyaenhl-get: sixteen battles in the military history of the nine allied Tsimshian tribes

• Main Author: Buddenhagen, Jeremy
• Other Authors: Lutz, John S (John Sutton)
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: First Nations; Tsimshian; History; Military History; Warfare; British Columbia; Nine Tribes; Pre-contact; Adawx; Tsimshian*
• Online Access: https://dspace.library.uvic.ca//handle/1828/9043

There is a deeply held bias in Northwest Coast scholarly literature that suggests pre-contact Indigenous warfare was primarily made up of simplistic nighttime sneak attacks to raid for slaves or treasure. This thesis examines sixteen battles in the pre-contact history of the Nine Allied Tsimshian Tribes to show that there were sieges, battlefield maneuvers were complex and coordinated with multiple forces, combat was well organised, had strong leadership, and the Nine Tribes utilised these sophisticated strategies and tactics in warfare to achieve broader geopolitical goals. Graduate