Photograph depicts two men standing beside beds of fish laid out to dry. More oolichan fish hang on tall structures in background.
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: "'Food for winter' Oolichans drying at Fishing Bay, Nass River".
Photograph depicts two men standing beside beds of fish laid out to dry. More oolichan fish hang on tall structures in background.
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: "'Food for winter' Oolichans drying at Fishing Bay, Nass River".
Forest and hills on opposite shore in background.
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: "Travelling thru' canyon on Nass River 'Engine & poles'".
Hill on opposite shore in background.
Three men can be seen carrying bundles across bridge above river, forest on shore in background.
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: "Upper Nass River. Chapt. XXII. No. 4. An Indian Bridge on a canyon."
Photograph depicts two men standing at base of totem pole in front of large elaborate lodge building with post reading "MINESQU". Smaller structure stands in background (elevated cache?).
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: "Chapter XXIV. No. 3. A chief's lodge and totem Nass River."
Four women sit in foreground at a porch partially covered with foliage.
Handwritten annotations on verso read: "Honoured elders of porch of Mission House at Kincolith, Nass River"; "sun set or legend of the past".
Three women sit in foreground at a porch partially covered with foliage.
Handwritten annotations on verso read: "Elders at Mission House Kincolith Nass River BC".
Photograph depicts a tomb elevated over grassy area.
Handwritten annotation on image reads: "26. Front of Indian tomb."; on verso: "Upper Nass River."
Photograph depicts an empty canoe floating beside a canoe full of fish. Hills visible on opposite shore in distance.
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: "Loaded with fish - Nass River".
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: "Poling supplies up Nass River".
Photograph features a steep cliff across water, rocky shore in foreground.
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: "Up the 'Big Creek' at Kincolith B.C. Rock face called 'the place of echoes' by the Indian people."
Close up of a carved wooden rattle featuring one side which is in the shape of a sun with face.
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: “Medicine man’s rattle. One side representing The sun and the other side The Moon. For heading of Page 20 Medicine Man’s rattle, Haida, Q.C. Islands.”
Two carved wooden figures stand side by side to mark the burial of a Haida medicine man. Each figure has one arm up with a hand under or over the chin, while the other arm is down. Carved chiefly headdresses adorn each of their heads.
Handwritten annotation in pen on verso reads: “Q.C. Is.”
Two carved wooden figures stand side by side to mark the burial of a Haida medicine man. Each figure has one arm up with a hand under or over the chin, while the other arm is down. Carved chiefly headdresses adorn each of their heads.
Handwritten annotation in pen on verso reads: “Shaman’s grave”.
Two carved poles stand in foreground, a third smaller pole visible by wood structure in background.
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: "For heading of Page 12. Fin Back Whale Crest. [?] Totems, S.E. Alaska".
Totem poles (crest poles?) stand in front of wooden houses on right. Hills on shoreline visible in background.
Handwritten annotations on verso read: "West Coast QCIs."; "[Old?] Kassan Alaska."
Four women and one child stand on shore in foreground. Village buildings and totem poles (crest poles?) stand in background against forest.
Display of the tools of the Medicine Man: rattles, statues, hats (crowns), masks, spoons apron and body ornamentation.
Handwritten annotation in pen on verso reads: “A medicine man’s outfit. Crowns of bear’s claws, aprons of skins adorned with carved charms of bone and ivory, also rattles. Would illustrate Chapt. XIII for no. 2”
Photograph depicts close-up of unidentified skeletal remains situated on the ground. Handwritten annotation in pen on verso reads: “skeleton fallen from burial box at Masset QCIs. Remains were buried near original site”.
Hand coloured photograph of a cemetery in Gitxsan territory. Annotation on recto reads: "Indian Cemetery, Hazelton, BC."
This unpublished manuscript, authored by W.H. Collison and handwritten by Joyce Collison, comprises 29 identifiable chapters. Content of this manuscript appears to be focused upon the retelling of First Nations stories. The donor identified that this manuscript was intended for publication but was never completed.
Group of eight men and seven children stand in front of crest pole on unidentified building.
Handwritten annotation below image reads: "[..?] Alaska. Indian Totem Pole, Eagle Crest South Eastern Alaska."; on verso: "Chapter XXI Illustrations No. 2. [Kinnanook?] Section of Indian Village showing Totem pole of Eagle crest."
Display of the tools of the Medicine Man: snow shoes, rattles, trumpet, hats (crowns), mask, apron and body ornamentation.
Handwritten annotation in pen on verso reads: “No. 26 Medicine Man’s Outfit. Bear claw crowns, aprons with charms, rattles, trumpet, for insertion at close of chapt.”
Two carved wooden figures stand side by side with a horizontally placed wooden plank between them.
Handwritten annotation in pen on verso reads: “Chapter XIX near Skidegate, Shaman’s Grave”.
Two carved wooden figures stand side by side to mark the burial of a Haida medicine man. Each figure has one arm up with a hand under or over the chin, while the other arm is down. Carved chiefly headdresses adorn each of their heads.
Handwritten annotation in pen on verso reads: “Shaman’s grave nr. --Masset QCIs.”
Clah or T'amks [Tsimshian name] stands on wood platform in front of shovel and pickaxe leaning against building. Clah was a hereditary chief and Hudson Bay Company employee who helped missionary William Duncan learn the Tsimshian language.
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: " 'Clah' or the pioneer missionary's [...?]"
Child stands in distance beside tall totem pole. Tree stumps in foreground, forest and mountains in background.
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: "[Sanabati near Upper Queen?] Kasaan Alaska".
Canoes sit on shore in foreground beside village buildings. A dock is visible above water in background.
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: "Alert Bay Indian Ranch No. 14 Alert Bay. To be shown on page 69 or 70, re Alert Bay Mission."
Eight unidentified medicine men in full regalia stand in a row within a long house. Handwritten annotation in pen on verso reads: “Yaulalet Dum guna al git dkdin (?) Party of medicine men Nishka Indians ready for medicine dance. W.H. Collison”. Stamped annotation on verso reads: “Haldane & Bro. Alaskan Photographers, 7 West Street, Metlakahtla – Alaska.”
Two carved wooden figures covered in moss stand side by side with a fallen wooden plank lying between them. Wooden figures have pen marks applied to the surface of the photo.
Handwritten annotation in pen on verso reads: “Chapt. XIX No. 3. A medicine man’s tomb guarded by two figures, one of which has two heads following a tradition. They are both ie (?) the two headed figure, arranged in the headdress containing the swan’s down which is the sign of peace”.
Two carved wooden figures stand side by side to mark the burial of a Haida medicine man. Each figure has one arm up with a hand under or over the chin, while the other arm is down. Carved chiefly headdresses adorn each of their heads.
Handwritten annotation in pen on verso reads: “Illustration for insertion at end of Chapt XIX no. 2. Medicine man’s tomb Queen Charlotte Islands.” Photograph has pen markings made on its recto tracing the outline of these two shapes.
Photograph of three Tsimshian mortuary poles. Two crossed logs rest atop the three poles. Annotation on recto reads: "Indian Mortuary Poles Nr Prince Rupert BC McRae Bros."
Two carved poles stand in front of a wide wooden building. Forest in background.
Printed below image: "OLD KAGAAN TOTEMS, KETCHIKAN, ALASKA".
Young boy stands among bushes in snow, totel pole in background.
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: “WE Collison Totem on QCIsl."
Haida Grammar. Reverend C. Harrison. From the Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada. Volume I, Section II: 1895.
Newspaper consists of the recto and verso of 2 pages (p. 1-4). It was published in Aiyansh on the Nass River in British Columbia in April 1895 and presents a missionary's perspective of regional First Nations traditions and current affairs of the day.
Photograph depicts an unidentified individual leaning against a large overturned dugout canoe; barrel, bucket, and wood planks in foreground. Houses and other buildings can be seen on shore above beach, and two unidentified individuals stand in distance on far right.
Handwritten annotations on verso read: “Haida canoe on beach at Masset / ? 1898”; “No. 4 Page 5. Haida Canoe ready for steaming to [widen?] out and finish.”
An original negative of this photograph is held by the Canadian Museum of Civilization, no. 26664.
File includes "In the Wake of the War Canoe" Chapter XX revisions and a note from donor Jean Whiffin on behalf of Joyce Collison regarding the revisions.
Large group of women, men, and children pose on front steps of church. Some men standing in back hold brass instruments. Bishop Ridley (with long beard) sits in front centre between W.H. Collison (on right) and his son W.E. Collison. Photograph depicts the first church built in Metlakatla, which was burned in a fire in 1901, and replaced in 1903.
Handwritten annotation below image reads: "A gathering of Missionaries and Indians in front of Metlakahtla Church During Synod"; on verso: "[Ven?] Arch Collison & Mrs Collison".
Rev. W.E. Collison sits to left of totem pole, smoking a pipe (oldest son of Marion and Archdeacon W.H. Collison). Log fence can be seen in front of forest in right background.
Handwritten annotations on verso read: “W.E. Collison at Massett, QCIs."; "Dad beside totem pole".
File contains linguistic notes prepared by W.H. Collison and sermons written by W.H. Collison in various First Nations languages.
The pair sits on ground beside large totem pole, Bertha on left (wife of W.E. Collison). Log fence can be seen in front of forest in right background.
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: “Mother & Josie Edenshaw at Massett".
Chief’s ceremonial Chilkat robe hung for portrait; associated headress is attached to wall above it. Woven headress features the inset face of a carved wooden bird.
Handwritten annotation in pen on verso: “Chief’s Dancing Robe surmounted by Dancing Headress for page 8.” Verso also has additional handwritten annotations which have been crossed out. Stamped photographers mark on recto: “Werner & Son; 39 Grafton St. Dublin.”
Photograph depicts a mortuary pole situated against a snowy landscape.
Handwritten annotation on verso reads: “Chapter XVIII, Nom. 1 Chief Gwaksho’s totem pole. The Great Hunter.”
Notebook contains two stories: "The Finding of the Crystals" and "Tit for Tat or The Porcupine and the Beaver". These stories are also found in the Collison manuscript.
Notebook contains Collison's recollections of local history as he heard it, and of the events he encountered during some of his time in ministry.
Photograph depicts an unidentified man walking on path in front of Bishop Ridley's home. Several children can be seen in fenced yard in midground.
Handwritten annotation below image reads: "Ridley Home and Mission house Metlakahtla."; on verso: "Chapter XXVII / Heading for Chapter / Ridley Home Metlakahtla".