Uploaded December 2014 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
These film clips were made by Harlan I Smith in about 1920.
Smith was an American born in 1872 in Michigan.
In 1911, Harlan I. Smith joined the Geological Survey of Canada as head of its archeology division. This unit, along with the ethnography division later evolved into what is now the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Smith's early years as an archaeologist with the GSC were spent excavating and investigating potential archaeological sites in eastern Canada, Ontario and British Columbia. In 1920, he began what would become several years of ethnographic work in the Bella Coola Valley of British Columbia. Although he conducted archaeological investigations, his main focus was the documentation of the traditional uses of plants and animals, social organization and cultural traditions of the Nuxalk, Dakelh-ne and Chilcotin people.
Two children in front of Cleleman house in the old village of Komkots, British Columbia, © CMC/MCC, H.I. Smith, 46919
Enlarge imageTwo children in front of Cleleman house in the old village of Komkots, British Columbia
Besides archaeological mapping and the creation of an impressive inventory of archaeological sites in Canada, Harlan I. Smith was a pioneer in ethnographic film-making, anthropological photography and museum education. Smith was unique for his time, in that he tried to ensure that the people he photographed received copies of their portraits. He wrote extensive captions for his photographs that included detailed information on the subject, date, location, and often, camera angle. These images and associated information continue to be of use and importance to researchers. Harlan I. Smith died in Ottawa in 1940.
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Please watch: "Royal visit 1939 drive by on Kingsway at Marlborough in Burnaby May 29th"
youtube.com/watch?v=Db0ANezSxLo
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
These film clips were made by Harlan I Smith in about 1920.
Smith was an American born in 1872 in Michigan.
In 1911, Harlan I. Smith joined the Geological Survey of Canada as head of its archeology division. This unit, along with the ethnography division later evolved into what is now the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Smith's early years as an archaeologist with the GSC were spent excavating and investigating potential archaeological sites in eastern Canada, Ontario and British Columbia. In 1920, he began what would become several years of ethnographic work in the Bella Coola Valley of British Columbia. Although he conducted archaeological investigations, his main focus was the documentation of the traditional uses of plants and animals, social organization and cultural traditions of the Nuxalk, Dakelh-ne and Chilcotin people.
Two children in front of Cleleman house in the old village of Komkots, British Columbia, © CMC/MCC, H.I. Smith, 46919
Enlarge imageTwo children in front of Cleleman house in the old village of Komkots, British Columbia
Besides archaeological mapping and the creation of an impressive inventory of archaeological sites in Canada, Harlan I. Smith was a pioneer in ethnographic film-making, anthropological photography and museum education. Smith was unique for his time, in that he tried to ensure that the people he photographed received copies of their portraits. He wrote extensive captions for his photographs that included detailed information on the subject, date, location, and often, camera angle. These images and associated information continue to be of use and importance to researchers. Harlan I. Smith died in Ottawa in 1940.
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Please watch: "Royal visit 1939 drive by on Kingsway at Marlborough in Burnaby May 29th"
youtube.com/watch?v=Db0ANezSxLo
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
