Land, Indigenous peoples, settlers, and today’s communities.

Since time immemorial, Ancestors of the people called K’ómoks today consisting of the Pentlatch, Ieeksan (eye-ick-sun), Sasitla (sa-seet-la), Xa’xe (ha-hey) and Sathloot (sath-loot) people have been the caretakers of this land, which they called the “Land of Plenty.” This Land of Plenty stretched from what is known today as Kelsey Bay in the north, down to Hornby and Denman Island in the south, and included the watershed and estuary of the Puntledge River, also acknowledging that these boundaries and place names are colonial constructs.

The K’ómoks First Nation refer to the lands between the bays of Comox and the Beaufort mountain range as the path between, it was a travel and trade route to the Alberni corridor and a connection to the indigenous communities on the western side of the island.

Land agreements included the 1884 Settlement Act stripped these lands for its caretakers. At the Museum we acknowledge that we are a colonial created institution, and I would like to thank Charlene Everson, Emily Shopland and Violet Williams for guiding the museum in early discussion on what reconciliation could mean for our organization and how we could create actionable steps; in maintaining a positive dialogue with a forward focus, sharing contemporary K’omoks narratives, and incorporating First Nation languages where they felt it appropriate. Their time and guidance helped us gain insight and learn how to best support their voice in our museum’s walls. This is an ongoing process and we have so much more to learn.

Person

Mining

Thomas J. Bates Jr.

Role: Miner

Date of birth: 18 Dec 1921

Date of death: 30 Jan 1964

Cause of death: Killed by fall of rock

Age at death: 44

Thomas J. Bates Jr. was born in Washington, USA on December 18th, 1921. He was killed by falling rocks at the Tsable River mine, where he worked, at 3:30AM on January 30th, 1964. Thomas was the last recorded fatality in the mines of Cumberland. He was buried in the Cumberland cemetery in block 13-8. Thomas was married to Olga "Della" Bates (née Mark) and together they had one child.
The Bates family moved to Cumberland, and his parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Bates, lived at 2512 Dunsmuir. His older brother, Andrew, lived 2570 Dunsmuir in the 1950s.

Land, Indigenous peoples, settlers, and today’s communities.

Thomas J. Bates Jr.

Robert Flack

William C. Whitehorse

Senjiro Hayashi

James Strang

Land, Indigenous peoples, settlers, and today’s communities.

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