Comox people

K'omok People

Map showing traditional territory of the Island Comox; Mainland Comox not shown
Total population
(850 (1983))
Regions with significant populations
Canada ( British Columbia)
Languages
English, Comox
Religion
Christianity, native
Related ethnic groups
Coast Salish peoples

The K’omoks or K'ómoks, usually known in English as the Comox people, are an indigenous group of Coast Salishan-speaking people in Comox, British Columbia and in Toba Inlet and the Malaspina Peninsula areas of the British Columbia mainland across Georgia Strait. They historically spoke the Komox language (Comox-Sliammon), and were divided in two main dialect and tribal groupings, which are known by academics as Island Comox and Mainland Comox.

The Island Comox of Vancouver Island now centered in the area of Courtenay-Comox, were historically the greatest and most powerful K’omoks group; both - K’omoks together with the neighboring Pentlatch (Puntletch / Puntledge) - were referring in their original language to their cultural collective as Sathloot, known to the Mainland Comox as the θaɬaθtuxʷ. After being conquered and politically dominated by southward moving warring Laich-kwil-tach (Ligwiłda'xw) (sometimes known as ″Southern Kwakiutl″) they refer today in their adopted Lik'wala / Lekwala / Liq̓ʷalaa dialect of Kwak'wala to themselves as K’omoks (Kwak'wala-name: kw’umuxws - ″plentiful″). Today the Island Comox have close political and family ties to the Weiwaikum (Wiwēkam) of the Campbell River Band located in and around the city of Campbell River (Wiwek̓a̱m) on the east coast of Vancouver Island, to the Weiwaikai (Wēqay̓i-Wiwēqay̓i) of the Cape Mudge Indian Band (We Wai Kai Nation) on Q­ra Island, and to the Walitsima / Walitsum Band of Salmon River (also called Hahamatses or Salmon River Band), who now occupy territories that were formerly Sathloot (K’omoks and Pentlatch). Many of these Laich-kwil-tach Bands are of Sathloot descent (sometimes the Walitsima / Walitsum Band are considered ethnically K'omoks, which only have adopted the culture and language of Laich-kwil-tach). Today the originally languages of both Sathloot groups are extinct: the Island Comox dialect or Qʼómox̣ʷs (Salhulhtxw / Saɬuɬtxʷ) and the Puntletch / Puntledge (Pənƛ̕áč) language (or dialect ?) are dropped in favor for the Lik'wala dialect and later for English.