Chilcotin War
| Chilcotin War | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
| White workers working for Alfred Waddington | Tsilhqot'in (Chilcotin) people | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| 14–19 killed |
15+ wounded and killed 5 arrested and hanged1 | ||||
| 1The five arrested were allegedly tricked into meeting Colonial officials under the false pretense of a truce. | |||||
The Chilcotin War, or the Chilcotin Uprising, occurred in 1864 between members of the Tsilhqot'in (Chilcotin) people and the Colony of British Columbia. It began when fourteen settlers employed by Alfred Waddington in the building of a road from Bute Inlet through Tsilhqot'in territory were killed, as well as a number of men with a pack-train near Anahim Lake and a settler at Puntzi Lake.
Five Tsilhqot'in chiefs (Tellot, Klattasine, Tah-pitt, Piele, and Chessus) were arrested and charged with murder. In defence of their actions, Klattasine said they were waging a defensive war and not committing murder, although all five were found guilty and sentenced to hang. In 2014, the provincial government of British Columbia exonerated the Tsilhqot'in leaders, and in 2018 the federal government of Canada formally apologised for the executions.