Hupacasath First Nation

Hupacasath First Nation
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
County	Alberni Valley

The Hupacasath First Nation is a First Nations government based in the Alberni Valley on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. An alternate spelling of Hupacasath is Opetchesaht or Opitchesaht. Hupacasath First Nation consists of approximately 300 members across five reserves.

In September 2012, the Government of Canada Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement signed a trade agreement with Chinese investors giving them control over major assets such as coal on its 232,000-hectare territory. It comes into effect when it has been ratified by both sides. The Hupacasath First Nations "community argued in federal court in June that the federal government is required to consult First Nations under Section 35 of the Constitution Act, which provides constitutional protection to the aboriginal and treaty rights of aboriginal peoples in Canada."

For thousands of years the Hupacasath people have owned, used, and occupied their traditional territory on Central Vancouver Island (See Traditional Territory Map). The Hupacasath are three distinct tribes: the Muh-uulth-aht, Kleh-koot-aht and Cuu-ma-as-aht (Ahahswinis).

The Muh-uulth-aht people (means people from where there is mountain with the face burnt off) lived in the Great Central Lake area with villages located at the head of Great Central Lake and around the Beaver Creek area of Stamp Falls. Their chief was named Kanaawis (Kanowish) who was a great warrior in his time. This area was and still is a great place for hunting deer, elk fowl, etc. as well for fishing and food gathering activities.

The Cuu-ma-as-ath people lived at Ahahswinis (means cleared in the middle), which was in the general vicinity of where the Port Alberni City is located now, to the Coleman Creek area down the Alberni Canal. Their village was where the current settlement is now located, on the Somass River. This area was mainly used for fishing salmon. Other activities done in this area by these people were hunting, gathering and potlatching.

The Kleh-koot-aht people resided around Kleh-koot (Sproat Lake) (means long stretch of level land). Kleh-koot-aht’s area was between Yaaqis (Prairie Farm) and Sproat Falls and there was a seasonal village located on the Sproat River. This village was a great place for fishing and smoking salmon, picking blackberries, hunting deer and picnicking. Also at this place was a longhouse where they performed several potlatches in the winter season.

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Wikipedia