Nuu-chah-nulth
The Nuu-chah-nulth people are
indigenous peoples of
Canada. The term 'Nuu-chah-nulth' is used to describe 15 separate but related nations whose traditional home is in the
Pacific Northwest on the west coast of
Vancouver Island. In pre-contact and early post-contact times, the number of nations was much greater, but smallpox and other consequences of contact resulted in the disappearance of some groups, and the absorption of others into neighbouring groups. The Nuu-chah-nulth are related to the
Chinookan and Kwakiutl peoples, and the Nuu-chah-nulth language is part of the
Wakashan language group.
Encyclopedia
The
Nuu-chah-nulth people are
indigenous peoples of
Canada. The term 'Nuu-chah-nulth' is used to describe 15 separate but related nations whose traditional home is in the
Pacific Northwest on the west coast of
Vancouver Island. In pre-contact and early post-contact times, the number of nations was much greater, but smallpox and other consequences of contact resulted in the disappearance of some groups, and the absorption of others into neighbouring groups. The Nuu-chah-nulth are related to the
Chinookan and Kwakiutl peoples, and the Nuu-chah-nulth language is part of the
Wakashan language group.
The Nuu-chah-nulth, and other Pacific Northwest cultures, were famous for their
potlatch ceremonies, in which the host would honour guests with generous gifts. The term 'potlatch' is a word of nuu-chah-nulth origin.
The Nuu-chah-nulth were among the first Pacific peoples north of
California to come into contact with
Europeans. Competition between
Spain and the
United Kingdom over control of
Nootka Sound led to a bitter international dispute around 1790, which was settled when Spain agreed to abandon its exclusive claims to the North Pacific coast. Negotiations to settle the dispute were handled under the hospitality of a powerful chief of the Mowachaht Nuu-chah-nulth of Nootka Sound,
Maquinna.
The Nuu-chah-nulth were one of the few groups on the Pacific Coast who hunted
whales. Whaling is essential to Nuu-chah-nulth culture and spirituality, and is reflected in stories, songs, names, family lines, and numerous place names throughout the Nuu-chah-nulth territores. Perhaps the most famous Nuu-chah-nulth artifact is the Yuquot "whaler's shrine", a ritual house-like structure used in the spiritual preparations for whale hunts. Composed of a series of memorial posts depicting spirit figures and the bones of whaling ancestors, it is presently in storage at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. It was the subject of a film,
The Washing of Tears which recounts the rediscovery of the bones and other artifacts at the museum, and the travails of the Mowachaht people, the shrine's original owners, in seeking to repossess them.
At the time of early contact with European explorers, up until 1830, more than 90 percent of the Nuu-chah-nulth were killed by
sexually-transmitted diseases,
malaria, and
smallpox, and by cultural turmoil resulting from contact with Westerners.
Origin of name
When
James Cook first encountered the villagers at Yuquot in 1778, they directed him to "come around" with his ship to the harbour. Cook interpreted this as the name of their tribe. In 1978 the term
Nuu-chah-nulth was chosen as a collective term to describe the closely related nations of western Vancouver Island. This was the culmination of 1958 alliance forged between the various nations in order to present a unified political voice. The
Makah of Washington State are directly related to the Nuu-chah-nulth.
Nuu-chah-nulth Bands and population
Nuu-chah-nulth bands today are:
- Ahousaht First Nation: formed from the merger of the Ahousaht and Kelsemeht bands in 1951;
- Ehattesaht First Nation;
- Hesquiaht First Nation;
- Kyuquot/Chicklisaht;
- Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations: formerly the Nootka band;
- Nuchatlaht First Nation;
- Huu-ay-aht: ;
- Hupacasath ;
- Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations: formerly Clayoquot;
- Toquaht First Nation;
- Tseshaht First Nation;
- Uchucklesaht First Nation;
- Ucluelet First Nation.
Totaly population for the 14 nations in the Nuuchahnulth Tribal is 8147 according to the Nuuchahnulth tribal council indian registry .
The Ditidaht First Nation , while politically and culturally affiliated with the Nuu-chah-nulth, are independently referred to. Similar for the Pacheedaht, who are not politically affiliated with the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.
Translations. What do the tribal names mean in their original language?
Nuu-Chah-Nulth - "all along the mountains and sea." Nuu-chah-nulth were formerly "Nootka" , but Nuu-chah-nulth which better explains how all the tribes are all connected to the land and the sea. Some of the names following are not part of the Nuu-chah-nulth political organization, however; all are "Aht" .
Ahousaht - People living with their backs to the land and mountains.
Ucluelet - People with a safe landing place for canoes.
Ehattesaht - People of a tribe with many clans
Checkleset People from the place where you gain strength
Hesquiaht - People who tear with their teeth
Kyuquot - Different people
Mowachaht - People of the deer
Muchalaht People who live on the Muchalee river
Nuchatlaht - People of a sheltered bay
Huu-ay-aht - People who recovered
Tseshaht - People from an island that reeks of whale remains
tla-o-qui-aht - People of other tribes
Toquaht - People from a situated area
Uchucklesaht - People of the inside harbour
Ditidaht - People from a place in the forest
Hupacasath - People living on the edge
Quidiishdaht - People living on the outside
Nuuchahnulth Place names
Nuuchahnulth had a name for each place within their traditional territory. These are just a few still used to this day:
Wickaninnish Name belonging to a great chief.
hisaawista Captured by clubbing the people who lived there to death.
Yuquot = - Where they get the north winds.
nootk-sitl Go around.
maaqtusiis A place across the island.
kakawis Fronted by a rock that looks like a container.
kitsuksis Log across mouth of creek
opitsaht Island that the moon lands on.
pacheena Foamy.
tsu-ma-uss Washing.
tsahaheh To go up.
hitac`u Ucluelet reserve.
tiipis pollys point.
Tsaxana A place close to the river.
Cheewat Pulling tide.
Source: Ha-shilth-sa Newspaper, 2003. All translations were compiled with consulation from nuuchahnulth elders. Ha-shilth-sa is the official newspaper for the Nuu-chah-nulth nation.
Bibliography
- Ellis, David, W.; & Swan, Luke. . Teachings of the tides: Uses of marine invertebrates by the Manhousat people. Nanaimo, British Columbia: Theytus Books.
- Hoover, Alan L. . . Nuu-chah-nulth voices: Histories, objects & journeys. Victoria, B. C.: Royal British Columbia Museum.
- Kim, Eun-Sook. . Theoretical issues in Nuu-chah-nulth phonology and morphology. .
- McMillian, Alan D. . Since the time of the transformers: The ancient heritage of Nuu-chah-nulth, Ditidaht, and Makah. Vancouver: UBC Press.
- Sapir, Edward. . Glottalized continuants in Navaho, Nootka, and Kwakiutl . Language, 14, 248-274.
- Sapir, Edward; & Swadesh, Morris. . Nootka texts: Tales and ethnological narratives with grammatical notes and lexical materials. Philadelphia: Linguistic Society of America.
- Sapir, Edward; & Swadesh, Morris. . Native accounts of Nootka ethnography. Publication of the Indiana University Research Center in Anthropology, Folklore, and Linguistics ; International journal of American linguistics . Bloomington: Indiana University, Research Center in Anthropology, Folklore, and Linguistics. .
- Shank, Scott; & Wilson, Ian. . Acoustic evidence for ? as a glottalized pharyngeal glide in Nuu-chah-nulth. In S. Gessner & S. Oh , Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Salish and Neighboring Languages . UBC working papers is linguistics .
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