Jewitt, a young English blacksmith, was captured in March 1803 when the fur-trading brigantine Boston, moored in Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island, was attacked by men led by Maquinna from the village of Yuquot. Angered by a perceived insult, and frustrated by the ill-treatment they had long received from European traders, the villagers killed all but two of the crew. In return for his life, Jewitt agreed to be Maquinna’s slave and to forge daggers, knives, and other implements for his people.
Source:
Narrative of the adventures and sufferings of John R. Jewitt : only survivor of the crew of the ship Boston, during a captivity of nearly three years among the savages of Nootka Sound : with an account of the manners, mode of living, and religious opinions of the natives...
