Nuxálk Nation
Encyclopedia
The Nuxalk Nation also referred to as the Bella Coola or Bellacoola, are an Indigenous
First Nation
in Canada
, living in the area in and around Bella Coola, British Columbia
. Their language is also called Nuxalk
.
The name Bella Coola, often used in academic writing, is not preferred by the Nuxálk; it is thought to be a derivation of the neighbouring coastal Heiltsuk
people's name for the Nuxálk, bḷ́xʷlá (rendered plxwlaq's in Nuxalk orthography), meaning "stranger".
The Nuxalk peoples, known collectively as Nuxalkmc, were four tribes (the Kimsquit from Dean Channel
, the Tallheo
/Talio from South Bentinck, the Stuic (Stuie) from Tweedsmuir Park
, and the Kwalhna/Kwatna from King Island
) who gathered in their current Bella Coola Valley, settling together based on cultural and linguistic similarities. Not everyone settled within the current Nuxalk Nation, and as such the Nuxalk share many family ties with their neighbours and beyond, most extensively with the Heiltsuk
.
The Nuxalk Nation is a member of the Oweekeno-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council
, and until March 2008 was a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
.
Before European contact, the Nuxalk population was approximately 35,000 (based on oral histories and academic research). After the small pox epidemic of 1862-64 (following waves of new gold seekers and settlers), Nuxalk villages were devastated to approximately 300 survivors. Nuxalk people were scattered throughout the territory and either relocated on their own to survive, or were forcibly removed by the Department of Indian Affairs, to form a settlement in what is now known as Bella Coola. Knowledge of family ancestry remains strong in Nuxalk families, including villages of descent, family crests, as well as songs and dances that tell the histories of our people in our smayustas.
Subsistence activities on these lands and trading with other Nations have always been central to the Nuxalk way of life. We are salmon people of the rainforest and without healthy and abundant lands and water, our very existence is seriously threatened. We, the Nuxalk, maintain our rights and title to our entire traditional territory and continue to strive to maintain our traditional systems of governance and powers, citing a long and rich cultural history as evidence of our continued use and occupation.
Despite the devastation of the small pox epidemic and the relocation of the survivors from certain villages to Bella Coola, the Nuxalk Nation has long asserted our rights and obligations to our ancestral territory and has never ceded, sold, surrendered, nor lost our traditional lands through act of war or treaty. The Nuxalk remain strongly against entering any treaty process as we know that our Ancestral lands have never been surrendered and remain legally ours, in both our tradition and under Canadian law.
Current Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) population estimates indicate a total Nuxalk population of approximately 1400 with nearly 900 of those living on the Nuxalk reserve in Bella Coola. However, according to traditional Nuxalk government, the true Nuxalk population is closer to 3,000. This number includes people of Nuxalk ancestry who are not registered or may be registered to another "Indian Band."
Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast
The Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those historical peoples. They are now situated within the Canadian Province of British Columbia and the U.S...
First Nation
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, living in the area in and around Bella Coola, British Columbia
Bella Coola, British Columbia
Bella Coola is a community of approximately 600 at the western extremity of the Bella Coola Valley. Bella Coola usually refers to the entire valley, encompassing the settlements of Bella Coola proper , Lower Bella Coola, Hagensborg, Saloompt, Nusatsum, Firvale and Stuie...
. Their language is also called Nuxalk
Nuxálk language
Nuxálk is a Salishan language spoken in the vicinity of the Canadian town Bella Coola, British Columbia by approximately 20-30 elders...
.
The name Bella Coola, often used in academic writing, is not preferred by the Nuxálk; it is thought to be a derivation of the neighbouring coastal Heiltsuk
Heiltsuk
The Heiltsuk are an Indigenous First Nations of the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, centred on the island communities of Bella Bella and Klemtu. The government of the Heiltsuk people is the Heiltsuk Nation...
people's name for the Nuxálk, bḷ́xʷlá (rendered plxwlaq's in Nuxalk orthography), meaning "stranger".
The Nuxalk peoples, known collectively as Nuxalkmc, were four tribes (the Kimsquit from Dean Channel
Dean Channel
Dean Channel is the upper end of one of the longest inlets of the British Columbia Coast, from its head at the mouth of the Kimsquit River. The Dean River, one of the main rivers of the Coast Mountains, enters Dean Channel about below the head of the inlet, at the community of...
, the Tallheo
Tallheo, British Columbia
Tallheo is a First Nations community of the Nuxálk people and former cannery town near Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada, on North Bentinck Arm...
/Talio from South Bentinck, the Stuic (Stuie) from Tweedsmuir Park
Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park
Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. Formerly part of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park it was formed from the southern portion of that park, the northern portion being redesignated Tweedsmuir North Provincial Park and Protected Area in order to allow...
, and the Kwalhna/Kwatna from King Island
King Island
King Island, Kings Island or King's Island may refer to:Australia* King Island * King Island ** King Island AirportCanada* King Island * King Island * King Island USA...
) who gathered in their current Bella Coola Valley, settling together based on cultural and linguistic similarities. Not everyone settled within the current Nuxalk Nation, and as such the Nuxalk share many family ties with their neighbours and beyond, most extensively with the Heiltsuk
Heiltsuk
The Heiltsuk are an Indigenous First Nations of the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, centred on the island communities of Bella Bella and Klemtu. The government of the Heiltsuk people is the Heiltsuk Nation...
.
The Nuxalk Nation is a member of the Oweekeno-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council
Oweekeno-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council
The Oweekeno-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council is a First Nations tribal council comprising band governments of three indigenous peoples of the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada...
, and until March 2008 was a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization , formed in 11 February 1991, in The Hague, is an international organization of political organisations and governments representing self-proclaimed "indigenous peoples, minorities, and unrecognised or occupied territories". The organization...
.
Before European contact, the Nuxalk population was approximately 35,000 (based on oral histories and academic research). After the small pox epidemic of 1862-64 (following waves of new gold seekers and settlers), Nuxalk villages were devastated to approximately 300 survivors. Nuxalk people were scattered throughout the territory and either relocated on their own to survive, or were forcibly removed by the Department of Indian Affairs, to form a settlement in what is now known as Bella Coola. Knowledge of family ancestry remains strong in Nuxalk families, including villages of descent, family crests, as well as songs and dances that tell the histories of our people in our smayustas.
Subsistence activities on these lands and trading with other Nations have always been central to the Nuxalk way of life. We are salmon people of the rainforest and without healthy and abundant lands and water, our very existence is seriously threatened. We, the Nuxalk, maintain our rights and title to our entire traditional territory and continue to strive to maintain our traditional systems of governance and powers, citing a long and rich cultural history as evidence of our continued use and occupation.
Despite the devastation of the small pox epidemic and the relocation of the survivors from certain villages to Bella Coola, the Nuxalk Nation has long asserted our rights and obligations to our ancestral territory and has never ceded, sold, surrendered, nor lost our traditional lands through act of war or treaty. The Nuxalk remain strongly against entering any treaty process as we know that our Ancestral lands have never been surrendered and remain legally ours, in both our tradition and under Canadian law.
Current Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) population estimates indicate a total Nuxalk population of approximately 1400 with nearly 900 of those living on the Nuxalk reserve in Bella Coola. However, according to traditional Nuxalk government, the true Nuxalk population is closer to 3,000. This number includes people of Nuxalk ancestry who are not registered or may be registered to another "Indian Band."
External links
- Nuxalk Nation Home Page
- map of Northwest Coast First Nations (including Nuxálk)
