A day after learning Peter Ogden’s name will be removed from a seaside section of Victoria’s James Bay neighbourhood, the fur trader’s great-great-great-great-granddaughter is giving the controversial decision an added dose of context.
Rachel Perkins took to Twitter Monday night releasing a series of tweets about a relative she has spent 15 years learning about. She said she does not believe Ogden Point should have been named after her ancestor in the first place.
The insightful Twitter thread was in response to the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority’s decision to remove the Ogden name as part of a rebrand. The Harbour Authority maintains the decision to rename the area “The Breakwater District” is not about erasing the past, or Peter Ogden.
Perkins confirms much of what historians know about Peter Ogden, a fur trader and explorer.
She says he did kill a First Nations man during a fur trading incident. She also says he was violent and stubborn, even “pig-headed” but says that’s only part of his story.
“From all of our family records he felt horrible about that for the rest of his life, and for the next 30 years tried really hard to make ammends and repair relationships between the Hudson’s Bay Company and himself and the local first nations, wherever he happened to be,” Perkins says.
Despite Ogden’s name appearing all over the Pacific Northwest, including a school in 100 Mile House, Perkins doesn’t believe place names should named after people, including Ogden Point.
“I’m of the belief that it should have never been named Ogden Point to begin with, it has a name,” she says.
“That land belongs to the Lekwungen people in Victoria, and I would love to see the name restored to the Lekwungen name for that land.”
Although Perkins has no problem with the Harbour Authority changing the name, she says she would prefer the new name to follow in the footsteps of the James Bay Library.
The branch opened in 2018 and is called “sx?e?x??? t???x?” (pronounced s-hweng hw-ung tongue-oo-hw) which the Greater Victoria Library says is the Lekwungen name for James Bay. The name was selected through a “Name That Library” campaign in consultation with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.
Ian Robertson, the CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority says the decision was not about erasing history.
“It’s not erasing what happened. I think we should be very open and transparent about what happened. It’s really about celebrating this place, what it has become, and what it holds for the future,” Robertson says.
The new name will be unveiled on Sept. 18 as part of a new rebrand for Ogden Point.
You can read Rachel Perkins tweets on Peter Ogden here:
Monday story: Just saw they’re renaming Ogden Point in #yyj. I’m Peter Skene Ogden’s 4x Great-Granddaughter. It’s true: he killed a First Nations man in some sort of incident during the Fur Trade. By all historical accounts, he was a brute – Stubborn, mean, violent… #PSO 1/
— Rachel Perkins (@Si_Si_Gwa_d) August 27, 2019
He was born in Quebec City. His wife was Cree from Île-à-la-Crosse. They moved west with the Fur Trade – he worked for both the NW Co. & HBC. He was also an explorer & unbelievable outdoorsman (head to Ogden UT or Shasta CA to see the mountains he led expeditions thru). #PSO 2/
— Rachel Perkins (@Si_Si_Gwa_d) August 27, 2019
He got a 2nd chance at life after the murder – Governor Simpson hired him at HBC, where he flourished. He saved the lives of 54 hostages at the Whitman Massacre in Oregon. He delivered Eliza Spalding back to safety at the Spalding Mission in Idaho. #PSO 3/
— Rachel Perkins (@Si_Si_Gwa_d) August 27, 2019
He lived & worked peacefully with the Shoshone, Nez Perce & Salish Peoples. He tried to make amends for his past. He turned his life around for 30+ years; every day he worked at restitution, or at least not being a total garbage human. #PSO 4/
— Rachel Perkins (@Si_Si_Gwa_d) August 27, 2019
He lost his son and Grandson to in Fort St. James. I’m named after his Granddaughter. His descendants married into the Cree, Tsimshian & Shoshone tribes. They were also Métis. They lived along the Skeena and Nass Rivers, where they attended Residential School. #PSO 5/
— Rachel Perkins (@Si_Si_Gwa_d) August 27, 2019
They spoke multiple languages (Cree, Michif, French, Shoshone, Tsimshian, Niimiipuu). So, yes, murder is perhaps the unforgivable sin. And yes, judging by his descendants, he was probably quite violent & headstrong (luckily, they’ve improved over time). #PSO 6/
— Rachel Perkins (@Si_Si_Gwa_d) August 27, 2019
I’m totally fine with #yyj renaming #OgdenPoint. IMO, it should return to the language of the land & its #Lekwungen name. I’ve never been comfortable with places being named after people, replacing the local First Nations Languages & place names. #PSO 7/
— Rachel Perkins (@Si_Si_Gwa_d) August 27, 2019
PSO can be relegated to history books and family folklore. That can be his ultimate punishment- I’m ok with it. No reconciliation without truth. We remember him as he was – flawed, perhaps evil – but ultimately serving some good purpose & trying to make amends #PSO 8/
— Rachel Perkins (@Si_Si_Gwa_d) August 27, 2019
Without him, I wouldn’t be here. My Indigenous ancestors wouldn’t be here. We were sometimes frightfully strong & combative. Often wrong. But we survived. Truth. Reconciliation. Give #OgdenPoint back its original name – he should not have had it to begin with. #yyj #PSO 9/
— Rachel Perkins (@Si_Si_Gwa_d) August 27, 2019
Bonus photo: Giant monument to #PSO in Ogden, Utah. His legacy will live on. I’ll survive. ? #yyj #truth #reconciliation Ogden Point is and always was #LekwungenTerritory. Full stop. /end pic.twitter.com/5BdkVLj3hq
— Rachel Perkins (@Si_Si_Gwa_d) August 27, 2019
1 more: I’d like to thank Northwestern Shoshone Chairman Darren Parry @shoshoneelder for welcoming me & my family back to our ancestors’ territory for #PSO days last May. Peter S. Ogden had a large impact on his people/land. Hopefully for the better, but my heart says different.
— Rachel Perkins (@Si_Si_Gwa_d) August 27, 2019
In a way, I feel like I also need to spend my life making amends for the sins of my g-g-g-g-grandfather. Or at least speaking truth. ❤️
— Rachel Perkins (@Si_Si_Gwa_d) August 27, 2019
Joe Perkins
