Odille Morison
Encyclopedia
Odille Morison was a linguist, artifact collector, and community leader from the Tsimshian
First Nation of northwestern British Columbia
, Canada.
She was born July 17, 1855, in the Tsimshian village of Lax Kw'alaams
, then known by its colonial name of Fort Simpson or Port Simpson. She was the daughter of a Tsimshian traditional healer and midwife named Mary Quintal (later Curtis) and French Canadian employee of the Hudson's Bay Company
(HBC) fort in the village, François Quintal. Following her mother in the matrilineal system of the Tsimshian, Odille was a member of the Gitlaan
tribe and most likely of the Killerwhale crest. She grew up trilingual, in English, Tsimshian, and French, and also knew the Chinook Jargon
trade language. When, in 1862, the Anglican
lay missionary at Port Simpson, William Duncan
, relocated a portion of his flock to found the nearby utopian Christian community of Metlakatla
, the Quintals moved with him. Odille was educated in Metlakatla's mission school.
In August 1872 Odille, aged seventeen, married Charles F. Morison, an Englishman and a clerk with the HBC. They were married by a ship's chaplin because the missionary in charge, the Rev. Robert Tomlinson
, for unknown reasons refused to marry them. The Morisons also kept a home in Port Essington
, a cannery town whose founder, Robert Cunningham, had been Mary Quintal's brother-in-law.
Odille waded into the doctrinal rivalry between Duncan and his Anglican bishop William Ridley
by translating (against Duncan's instincts) sections of the New testament and prayer book into the Tsimshian language
, Sm'algyax. Her work became the basis for the first practical spelling system of Tsimshian, the so-called "Ridley orthography." Odille's partisanship in the Duncan-Ridley schism contributed to her decision to stay in "Old" Metlakatla when Duncan, in 1887, founded a new community at "New" Metlakatla, Alaska
, with 800 Tsimshian settlers. She was entirely devoted to her extended Tsimshian family, who also remained behind.
In 1888 Odille met the anthropologist Franz Boas
during his visit to Port Essington. He facilitated the publication of an article by Odille on Tsimshian proverbs for the Journal of American Folk-Lore in 1889 and over the next few years she gathered for Boas over 140 artifacts to be displayed at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago
, including two totem poles. She also sent Boas ethnographic data.
Both Charles and Odille Morison died in 1933 in Metlakatla, B.C.
Tsimshian
The Tsimshian are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Tsimshian translates to Inside the Skeena River. Their communities are in British Columbia and Alaska, around Terrace and Prince Rupert and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. There are approximately 10,000...
First Nation of northwestern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada.
She was born July 17, 1855, in the Tsimshian village of Lax Kw'alaams
Lax Kw'alaams
Lax-Kw'alaams , usually called Port Simpson, is an Indigenous village community in British Columbia, Canada, not far from the city of Prince Rupert. It is the home of the "Nine Tribes" of the lower Skeena River, which are nine of the fourteen tribes of the Tsimshian nation...
, then known by its colonial name of Fort Simpson or Port Simpson. She was the daughter of a Tsimshian traditional healer and midwife named Mary Quintal (later Curtis) and French Canadian employee of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
(HBC) fort in the village, François Quintal. Following her mother in the matrilineal system of the Tsimshian, Odille was a member of the Gitlaan
Gitlaan
The Gitlaan are one of the 14 tribes of the Tsimshian nation in British Columbia, Canada, and one of the nine of those tribes making up the "Nine Tribes" of the lower Skeena River resident at Lax Kw'alaams , B.C...
tribe and most likely of the Killerwhale crest. She grew up trilingual, in English, Tsimshian, and French, and also knew the Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon originated as a pidgin trade language of the Pacific Northwest, and spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to other areas in modern Oregon and Washington, then British Columbia and as far as Alaska, sometimes taking on characteristics of a creole language...
trade language. When, in 1862, the Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
lay missionary at Port Simpson, William Duncan
William Duncan (missionary)
William Duncan was an English-born Anglican missionary who founded the Tsimshian communities of Metlakatla, British Columbia, in Canada, and Metlakatla, Alaska, in the United States...
, relocated a portion of his flock to found the nearby utopian Christian community of Metlakatla
Metlakatla, British Columbia
Metlakatla, British Columbia, is a small community that is one of the seven Tsimshian village communities in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated at Metlakatla Pass near Prince Rupert, British Columbia...
, the Quintals moved with him. Odille was educated in Metlakatla's mission school.
In August 1872 Odille, aged seventeen, married Charles F. Morison, an Englishman and a clerk with the HBC. They were married by a ship's chaplin because the missionary in charge, the Rev. Robert Tomlinson
Robert Tomlinson
Robert Tomlinson was an Irish medical missionary for the Church of England, known for his work with the indigenous peoples of British Columbia....
, for unknown reasons refused to marry them. The Morisons also kept a home in Port Essington
Port Essington, British Columbia
Port Essington was a cannery town on the south bank of the Skeena River estuary in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, between Prince Rupert and Terrace, and at the confluence of the Skeena and Ecstall Rivers. It was founded in 1871 by Robert Cunningham and Thomas Hankin and was for a time...
, a cannery town whose founder, Robert Cunningham, had been Mary Quintal's brother-in-law.
Odille waded into the doctrinal rivalry between Duncan and his Anglican bishop William Ridley
William Ridley (bishop)
William Ridley was an English missionary for the Church of England in Canada and served as Bishop of Caledonia.-Life:Ridley was from Brixham Devonshire, England, and was the son of a stonemason...
by translating (against Duncan's instincts) sections of the New testament and prayer book into the Tsimshian language
Coast Tsimshian
Coast Tsimshian, known by its speakers as Sm'algyax, is a Tsimshianic language spoken by the Tsimshian nation in northwestern British Columbia and southeastern Alaska...
, Sm'algyax. Her work became the basis for the first practical spelling system of Tsimshian, the so-called "Ridley orthography." Odille's partisanship in the Duncan-Ridley schism contributed to her decision to stay in "Old" Metlakatla when Duncan, in 1887, founded a new community at "New" Metlakatla, Alaska
Metlakatla, Alaska
Metlakatla is a census-designated place on Annette Island in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,375.- History :...
, with 800 Tsimshian settlers. She was entirely devoted to her extended Tsimshian family, who also remained behind.
In 1888 Odille met the anthropologist Franz Boas
Franz Boas
Franz Boas was a German-American anthropologist and a pioneer of modern anthropology who has been called the "Father of American Anthropology" and "the Father of Modern Anthropology." Like many such pioneers, he trained in other disciplines; he received his doctorate in physics, and did...
during his visit to Port Essington. He facilitated the publication of an article by Odille on Tsimshian proverbs for the Journal of American Folk-Lore in 1889 and over the next few years she gathered for Boas over 140 artifacts to be displayed at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, including two totem poles. She also sent Boas ethnographic data.
Both Charles and Odille Morison died in 1933 in Metlakatla, B.C.
Sources
- Atkinson, Maureen (2006) '"Affection and Kindness and Utterly Fearless": The Living Legacy of Odille Morison,' Living Landscapes (Northwest) web report, Royal BC Museum.
- Campbell, Kenneth (2005) Persistence and Change: A History of the Ts'msyen Nation. Prince Rupert, British Columbia: First Nations Education Council
- Collison, W. H. (1915) In the Wake of the War Canoe: A Stirring Record of Forty Years' Successful Labour, Peril and Adventure amongst the Savage Indian Tribes of the Pacific Coast, and the Piratical Head-Hunting Haida of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. Toronto: Musson Book Company. Reprinted by Sono Nis Press, Victoria, B.C. (ed. by Charles Lillard), 1981.
- Morison, O. (1889) "Tsimshian Proverbs." Journal of American Folk-Lore, vol. 2, no. 7, pp. 285–286.
- Rohner, Ronald P. (1969) The Ethnography of Franz Boas: Letters and Diaries of Franz Boas Written on the North-West Coast from 1886 to 1931. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.