Nuu-chah-nulth
Three Nuu-chah-nulth children in Yuquot, 1930s.
Total population	8147
Regions with significant populations	Canada (British Columbia), United States (Washington)
Language	English, Nootka
Religion
Related ethnic groups	Kwakiutl, Makah; other Wakashan peoples

The Nuu-chah-nulth (pronounced New-cha-nulth) (also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, West Coast, T’aat’aaqsapa, Nuuchahnulth) 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 International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system of phonetic notation devised by linguists to accurately and uniquely represent each of the wide variety of sounds (phones or phonemes) used in spoken human language. ... Image File history File links Nuu-chah-nulth_children_in_Friendly_Cove. ... Nootka Sound is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean and a natural harbour on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Official languages none stated in law; English is de facto Flower Pacific dogwood Tree Western Redcedar Bird Stellers Jay Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 36 6... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Nuu-chah-nulth (also called Nootka) is a Wakashan language spoken in the Pacific Northwest on the west coast of Vancouver Island from Barkley Sound to Quatsino Sound in British Columbia by the Nuu-chah-nulth people. ... Until the 1980s the termKwakiutl was usually applied to all of the various First Nations peoples of northern Vancouver Island, Queen Charlotte Strait and the Johnstone Strait whose traditional Wakashan language was Kwakwala. ... A Makah woman. ... Wakashan is a family of languages spoken around Vancouver Island. ... Indigenous peoples are: Peoples living in an area prior to colonization by a state Peoples living in an area within a nation-state, prior to the formation of a nation-state, but who do not identify with the dominant nation. ... Darker red states are always considered part of the Pacific Northwest. ... Vancouver Island is separated from mainland British Columbia by the Strait of Georgia and the Queen Charlotte Strait, and from Washington by the Juan De Fuca Strait. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Until the 1980s the termKwakiutl was usually applied to all of the various First Nations peoples of northern Vancouver Island, Queen Charlotte Strait and the Johnstone Strait whose traditional Wakashan language was Kwakwala. ... Nuu-chah-nulth (also called Nootka) is a Wakashan language spoken in the Pacific Northwest on the west coast of Vancouver Island from Barkley Sound to Quatsino Sound in British Columbia by the Nuu-chah-nulth people. ... Wakashan is a family of languages spoken around Vancouver Island. ...

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. for information about the French independent record label, see Potlatch Records A potlatch is a ceremony among certain Native American and First Nations peoples on the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States and the Canadian province of British Columbia such as the Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth...

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. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of Earth; the term continent here referring to a cultural and political distinction, rather than a physiographic one, thus leading to various perspectives about Europes precise borders. ... Nootka Sound is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean and a natural harbour on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. ... 1790 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Maquinna is the usual spelling of the name of the chief of the Nuu-chah-nulth people of Nootka Sound, during the heyday of the maritime fur trade in the 1780s and 1790s on the Pacific Northwest Coast. ...

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. Whales are the largest species of exclusively aquatic mammals, members of the order Cetacea, which also includes dolphins and porpoises. ...

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. Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), also known as sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), are diseases that are commonly transmitted between partners through some form of sexual activity, most commonly vaginal intercourse, oral sex, or anal sex. ... Malaria (from Medieval Italian: mala aria — bad air; formerly called ague or marsh fever) is an infectious disease that is widespread in many tropical and subtropical regions. ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) was a highly contagious viral disease unique to humans. ...

Origin of name

When James Cook first encountered the villagers at Yuquot in 1778, they directed him to "come around" (in their language "nootka") with his ship to the harbour. Cook interpreted this as the name of their tribe. In 1978 the term Nuu-chah-nulth (meaning "all along the mountains") 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. James Cook, portrait by Nathaniel Dance, c. ... A Makah woman. ...

Nuu-chah-nulth Bands and population (in brackets)

Nuu-chah-nulth bands today are:

1. Ahousaht First Nation: (pop. 1782) formed from the merger of the Ahousaht and Kelsemeht bands in 1951;
2. Ehattesaht First Nation; (294)
3. Hesquiaht First Nation; (653)
4. Kyuquot/Chicklisaht; (486)
5. Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations: (520) formerly the Nootka band;
6. Nuchatlaht First Nation; (165)
7. Huu-ay-aht: (formerly Ohiaht); (598)
8. Hupacasath (formerly Opetchesaht); (256)
9. Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations: (881) formerly Clayoquot;
10. Toquaht First Nation; (117)
11. Tseshaht First Nation; (918)
12. Uchucklesaht First Nation; (181)
13. Ucluelet First Nation. (606)

Totaly population for the 14 nations in the Nuuchahnulth Tribal is 8147 according to the Nuuchahnulth tribal council indian registry (most recent update: Feb 2006). 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... The Hesquiaht First Nation (pronounced Hesh-kwit or Hes-kwee-at) is a Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation based on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. ... The Mowachaht (pronounced Mow-atch-uht), which translates to people of the deer, originate from a place called Friendly Cove, or Yuquot (translates to Wind comes from all directions). In the mid-to-late 1700s, first contact between Native peoples in what is now British Columbia, Canada and European... The Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations (formerly referred to as the Clayoquot, both pronounced Clay-kwot), are a First Nation in Canada. ... Tseshaht First Nation is one of the 14 nations which make up the Nuu-chah-nulth nation. ... The on-reserve population of the Ucluelet First Nation is situated primarily on the Ucluelet Indian Reserve #1, called Hit-at-soo. ...

The Ditidaht First Nation (population 690), 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" (and prefer not to be called that), 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 (Ditidaht, Makah) are not part of the Nuu-chah-nulth political organization, however; all are "Aht" (people).

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 (of the banks)

Quidiishdaht (Makah) - 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 (esowista) – Captured by clubbing the people who lived there to death.

Yuquot (friendly Cove) = - Where they get the north winds.

nootk-sitl (Nootka) – 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 (somass) – Washing.

tsahaheh – To go up.

hitac`u (itatsoo) – Ucluelet reserve.

t’iipis – polly’s 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 (meaning 'interesting news') is the official newspaper for the Nuu-chah-nulth nation.

Bibliography

• Ellis, David, W.; & Swan, Luke. (1981). Teachings of the tides: Uses of marine invertebrates by the Manhousat people. Nanaimo, British Columbia: Theytus Books.
• Hoover, Alan L. (Ed.). (2002). Nuu-chah-nulth voices: Histories, objects & journeys. Victoria, B. C.: Royal British Columbia Museum.
• Kim, Eun-Sook. (2003). Theoretical issues in Nuu-chah-nulth phonology and morphology. (Doctoral dissertation, The University of British Columbia, Department of Linguistics).
• McMillian, Alan D. (1999). Since the time of the transformers: The ancient heritage of Nuu-chah-nulth, Ditidaht, and Makah. Vancouver: UBC Press.
• Sapir, Edward. (1938). Glottalized continuants in Navaho, Nootka, and Kwakiutl (with a note on Indo-European). Language, 14, 248-274.
• Sapir, Edward; & Swadesh, Morris. (1939). Nootka texts: Tales and ethnological narratives with grammatical notes and lexical materials. Philadelphia: Linguistic Society of America.
• Sapir, Edward; & Swadesh, Morris. (1955). Native accounts of Nootka ethnography. Publication of the Indiana University Research Center in Anthropology, Folklore, and Linguistics (No. 1); International journal of American linguistics (Vol. 21, No. 4, Pt. 2). Bloomington: Indiana University, Research Center in Anthropology, Folklore, and Linguistics. (Reprinted 1978 in New York: AMS Press, ISBN 0-4041-1892-5).
• Shank, Scott; & Wilson, Ian. (2000). Acoustic evidence for ʕ as a glottalized pharyngeal glide in Nuu-chah-nulth. In S. Gessner & S. Oh (Eds.), Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Salish and Neighboring Languages (pp. 185-197). UBC working papers is linguistics (Vol. 3).

External links

• Nuu-chah-nulth Home Page
• An extract from the forthcoming Nuuchahnulth Dictionary
• Nootka Texts
  • What Mosquitos are made of
  • Kwatyat and Wolf
  • Kwatyat and Sunbeam's Daughter
• Bibliography of Materials on the Nuuchanulth Language (YDLI)
• Nuuchahnulth (Nootka) (Chris Harvey’s Native Language, Font, & Keyboard)
  • Nuuchahnulth Example Text
• map of Northwest Coast First Nations (including Nuu-chah-nulth)
• The Wakashan Linguistics Page
• Internet Movie Database on The Washing of Tears