This excerpt was written by Galiano about events on July 8, 1792. At a location near the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, local Chief Tetaku and his wife Maria visited the expedition schooners in their canoe. Tetaku was invited to travel aboard the Mexicana. The passage shows contact between the Spanish and First Nations, some of their approaches to relations with the local peoples, and the recognition by members of the Malaspina and Galiano-Valdés expeditions that there were many “nations” living on the coast who had possession of the lands.
“[Tetaku] took a little dried fish from the canoe, hung it from the rigging in the schooner, and ordered his wife [“Maria”] to continue on her journey. Only a short time had gone by before a canoe drew up carrying one of his older wives … she made it be known to Valdés that he should leave us and accompany her. Valdés made her understand that if we came across Maria in the channel, or any of those that knew him and had been persuaded that Tetaku was in the Mexicana, they might suspect that we had done him harm. In such an event we would be exposed into entering into war with nations with whom we had taken every care in maintaining peaceful relations. Thus we tried to explain it to Tetaku, who tried to persuade his wife using the same reasons … he made signs to Valdés and Vernacci to embrace him and take him to the cabin and not let him go.
There was much to admire in the conduct of the chief, who was owner of much property and assets, and ruler of an extensive territory. Alone, unarmed, in a ship whose safety and functioning were unknown to him, he had given himself over to strangers he had seen for the first time the previous day in a manner free from concern, suspicion and regret. … He would observe and ask questions with great curiosity, letting it be known that it had been his desire to be admitted and transported on the vessel so that he might see our inner facets and the workings of our vessels. He would attentively watch manoeuvres, seek out the run of the ropes, inquire into their names and generally let nothing escape his notice … he would inform of his country’s practices, giving the names of certain things he thought could be of interest to us.
In the evening we were on shore, visiting Tetaku’s homesteads where there were 50 indians. They gave us blankets to sit on, and all surrounded us, offering us a portion of the octopus they had. … We later learned that [Tetaku] was one of the most feared rulers among those inhabiting the coast, and that his respect and authority was the result of his courage and skill.”
