Joseachal facts for kids

Joseachal was a brave Quinault man who lived a long time ago, in the early 1800s. He is famous for being the only person to survive a terrible event involving a ship called the Tonquin. This ship was a trading vessel owned by a company called the Pacific Fur Company.

Joseachal was hired to help the ship's crew talk to different Nuu-chah-nulth groups, like the Tla-o-qui-aht people. He was an interpreter, meaning he helped translate what people were saying. The Tonquin ship was destroyed near Vancouver Island. Joseachal was the only one who made it back to Fort Astoria to tell the company what had happened.

The Tonquin Ship Incident

The Tonquin was a ship used for the fur trade. It sailed along the coast, trading goods with different Indigenous nations.

Joseachal Joins the Crew

Near a place called Destruction Island, the ship's captain, Jonathan Thorn, hired Joseachal. Joseachal was important because he could speak the languages needed for trading. He also had a sister who was married to a Tla-o-qui-aht man. This connection might have helped him survive later.

Trouble at Clayoquot Sound

In June 1811, the Tonquin arrived at Clayoquot Sound. Many Tla-o-qui-aht people came aboard the ship to trade. Captain Thorn and an experienced elder named Nookamis were trying to agree on prices. Joseachal was there, translating everything they said.

Captain Thorn became very angry because Nookamis would not agree to his prices. Joseachal later told Duncan McDougall, another fur trader, that Captain Thorn took a fur skin and hit Nookamis in the face with it.

The Attack on the Ship

After this disrespectful act, the Indigenous people talked among themselves. They then offered to trade their furs again. They suggested trading one fur skin for three blankets and a knife. The crew agreed, and many knives were given out.

Suddenly, violence broke out. Warriors, led by a chief named Wickaninnish, attacked the crew on board the ship. Almost everyone on the ship was killed. Joseachal was the only known survivor. He managed to escape and eventually made it back to Fort Astoria. A powerful Lower Chinookan leader named Comcomly helped him on his journey.