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According to fur trader John Meares, Chief Maquinna of the Mowachaht band at Nootka Sound engaged in hideous cannibal acts. While blindfolded he groped after fattened slaves, bit and bludgeoned victims to death, and shared strips of raw human flesh with his guests. Different versions of this story circulated among the sea otter fur traders and were recorded by the Spaniards who in 1789 established a post at Nootka Sound. Although earlier Spanish explorers had not mentioned cannibalism during their visits to many different locations on the Northwest Coast, the fur traders convinced the Franciscan friars, seamen, and soldiers at Nootka Sound that their lives were in peril. Unlike California, there would be no missions to proselytize among the dispersed populations of the Northwest Coast. Some young Native children purchased by the Spaniards affirmed that they had been rescued from terrible deaths. However, there were no first-hand accounts to confirm that Chief Maquinna or anyone else engaged in cannibalism. Indeed, respected twentieth-century Northwest Coast historians such as Judge Frederick W. Howay rejected the rumours and hearsay evidence of the early observers, who lacked extensive knowledge of Native languages and cultures. Howay concluded that cannibalism beyond some ceremonial and symbolic acts did not exist.