Journals · Character

The English Chief

A leader among the Indigenous guides or traders.

minor

Also known as The English Chief

First appearance: To the Frozen Ocean in 1789

The English Chief's tie to The Indians is one of the pressures that moves Journals—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

Key Indigenous guide and interpreter during the Arctic expedition.

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With The Indians (professional): The English Chief negotiates or mediates between the Indians and the European explorers. With Mr. Mackay (professional): Mr. Mackay and the English Chief work together as part of the…

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Character Web

9 connections

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Relationship types

Professional
Other

Character groups

Expedition companions and guides
Protagonist
Referenced explorers and peoples

+4 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

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Relationships

The Indians
professional · ambivalent
The English Chief negotiates or mediates between the Indians and the European explorers. How this plays out →
Mr. Mackay
professional · positive

Relationship notes

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See The English Chief in To the Frozen Ocean in 1789

In the story

The English Chief appears across 14 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Journals To the Frozen and Pacific Oceans in 1789 and 1793
Key Indigenous guide and interpreter during the Arctic expedition.
To the Frozen Ocean in 1789
Indigenous guide and interpreter accompanying Mackenzie.
Chapter I
An Indian leader serving as interpreter and hunter, accompanied by his two wives and two young Indians.
II
Collects debts from the Indians and exchanges skins for rum and other goods.
Chapter III
Helps reconcile the expedition with the Slave and Dogrib Indians after their initial alarm.
Chapter IV
Presented with a capote to reconcile him to continuing in service.
Chapter V
Employed by the narrator to continually inquire about the native people during a two-hour stay.
Chapter VI
Acts as interpreter and intermediary, but shows signs of fatigue and is influenced by the natives' persuasion.
Chapter VII
Initially reluctant and tearful, he is soothed by the narrator and later reveals Chipewyan war customs; he accepts liquor and continues with the party.
Chapter V
The English Chief is referenced as the interpreter who helps communicate with the natives.
Chapter VIII: Encounters and Perils on the River
Mentioned indirectly as the narrator's men include 'my Indians' who are part of the expedition; the English Chief is a known leader among them.
The Village of the Salmon People
The elderly chief who embraces the narrator and later orders fish to be caught; his son presents a sea otter robe.
Chapter XI
The young chief or guide who becomes terrified and refuses to stay with the party, eventually leaving with the narrator's young man.
Chapter XII
The English chief (the narrator's steersman) declares he will never enter the canoe again, but later follows the narrator's lead.

Chapter companion notes

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See The English Chief in To the Frozen Ocean in 1789

See The English Chief in Journals To the Frozen and Pacific Oceans in 1789 and 1793