Peter Mitchell

Xaniimastan | Peter Mitchell

July 1, 1907-July 6, 1985

Xaniimastan1 Peter Mitchell was a respected Elder and Knowledge Keeper from the Stz’uminus First Nation. He was a fluent speaker of Hul’q’umi’num’ and generously shared his knowledge of the language, culture and traditions with his family as well as with new learners, linguists, and scholars including Dr. Tom Hukari from the University of Victoria. 

Mitchell was born in 1907 to James and Annie Mitchell (née Manson) of Chemainus. His father, James Mitchell, was a hereditary chief and passed his title on to Peter. From a young age, Peter’s father told him stories and taught him about Hul’q’umi’num’ culture and traditions. As a young man he became involved in the Bighouse. He was also, like his father and his sister Elizabeth Lussie Aleck, a member of the Shaker Church. 2

On May 16, 1939 Peter married Cecilia Louis (Aleck/Alec) from puneluxutth’.3 Her parents were Louie Aleck and Alice Moses. At the time of their wedding Peter was working as a fisherman and Cecilia was working as a housemaid. Peter was also active as a canoe puller. Together Peter and Cecilia had at least four children: daughter Ellen, married to Henry Crocker of Galiano Island; daughter Eva, married to Norman Charlie of Kuper Island; daughter Emily, married to Herbert Modeste of Oyster Bay; and son Clifford, married to Elaine Mitchell of Shell Beach. Cecelia passed away at age 55 on February 6, 1964.  

Like his father, Peter participated in community leadership, serving as an elected Chief of the Chemainus First Nation for at least one term. He also became a storyteller and regularly shared his stories with his children and grandchildren. One of his grandchildren, Xaniimastan Tim Harris, Stz’uminus First Nation Principal, W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Secondary School, fondly remembers “the great times I had with my grandfather, Xaniimastan (Peter Mitchell), sitting on his lap while he taught me cultural songs from the bighouse.” 4

Xaniimastan Peter Mitchell died on July 6, 1985 at the age of 78. During his lifetime he generously shared his language, stories and culture with family, new learners, linguists and more. We are thankful for the work he did to help revitalize the Hul’q’umi’num’ language and ensure that his culture and traditions would live on for future generations.

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  1. Xaniimastan is also spelt xunni’mutstun and xuniimutsten. ↩︎
  2. In fact, he and his sister Elizabeth married siblings from the Aleck family. Peter married Cecilia Louis Aleck and Elizabeth married Nelson Louie Aleck. ↩︎
  3.  Penelakut Island, formerly Kuper Island.
    See the marriage certificate here https://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/11886a90-2616-4e20-a7fb-451dfc98af4f ↩︎
  4. https://sononis.com/product/neekahs-knitting-needles/ ↩︎