Nuxalk (Bella Coola)
Location:The Nuxalk live in the
Pacific Northwest in British Columbia, Canada. Settlements run along the north shore of the Bella
Coola River running from high in the Rocky Mountains down to the Pacific
Ocean.Geography:Nuxalk land include lakes, mountains, seashores, rivers, prairies, mesas,
forests, and peninsulas.Language: Nuxalk is part of the Salish
language dialect.Religion: Tatau, the Creator, is
responsible for bringing the Nuxalk people from the heaves and placed
them in what is known as Nuxalk land. Earthly ancestors are
associated with animals such as the eagle, grizzly bear, killer whale
and other species common to the area and are also associated with
crests, names, and other titles expressing origin.
Feasts and potlatches are still important cultural practices of the
Nuxalk way of life. Though discouraged by government laws, they still
perform ceremonies such as the Cry Song, when one loves die and Qunqwtstsut, the Cleansing Ceremony.
The environment is a very important aspect of Nuxalk life and very
closely tied to religious beliefs. Many modern Nuxalk are concerned
about their native land because of practices such as logging and
fishing, which have devastated and depleted many natural resources.
The Nuxalk are very dependent on subsistence activities such as trading
and fishing, and consider themselves people of the salmon. Reliance on
healthy and available sources for water is significant to their
survival. They, therefore, also struggle very hard today with
maintaining land rights, which protect their ancestral territory. History: Smayustas are the
creation stories passed down from their ancestors. They tell of how the
first Nuxalk people came to earth. Their family histories are
expressed through songs, dances, totems, names and so forth.
Before European settlers brought the small pox disease, which
eliminated thousands of Nuxalk villages, the Nuxalk Nation was
originally composed four distinct territories: Taliyuumc, Sutslhmc,
Kwalhnmc, and Nuxalkmc. Eventually, all were forced to integrate
into the Nuxalk Q'umk'uts' village and adopted Nuxalk as their nation
name.
The population before European settlers arrived was estimated to be
about 35,000 (NN) and was drastically reduced to about 300 people who
survived the small pox epidemic. Afterwards, many people were
forced to relocate and now settle in the area known as Bella Coola.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not
claim expertise on the Nuxalk Nation.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the web address of this page.
If you are Nuxalk, your feedback is much appreciated.
Resources:
Nuxalk Nation History. Electronic document, http://www.nuxalknation.org/content/blogcategory/50/129/, accessed
July 2, 2009.
Nuxalk Smayusta Nuxalk Nation: A Living Culture. Electronic document, http://www.nuxalk.net/html/culture.htm, accessed July 2, 2009.
First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia Nuxalk. Electronic document, http://maps.fphlcc.ca/fphlcc/nuxalk, accessed July 2, 2009.
Written by: Sitha Im, 2009
|
