Nuu-chah-nulth people
Three Nuu-chah-nulth children in Yuquot, 1930s
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|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (8000) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Canada (British Columbia) | |
| Languages | |
| English, Nuu-chah-nulth, French | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Kwakwaka'wakw, Makah; other Wakashan peoples |
The Nuu-chah-nulth (/nuːˈtʃɑːnʊlθ/;Nuu-chah-nulth: [nuːt͡ʃaːnˀuɬ]), also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, Nuuchahnulth, Tahkaht, are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast in Canada. The term Nuu-chah-nulth is used to describe fifteen related tribes whose traditional home is on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
In precontact and early post-contact times, the number of tribes 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 Kwakwaka'wakw, the Haisla, and the Nitinaht. The Nuu-chah-nulth language is part of the Wakashan language group. The Makah people in northwest Washington were historically also Wakashan speakers.
When James Cook first encountered the villagers at Yuquot in 1778, they directed him to "come around" (Nuu-chah-nulth nuutkaa is "to circle around") with his ship to the harbour. Cook interpreted this as the native's name for the inlet—now called Nootka Sound. The term was also applied to the indigenous inhabitants of the area.
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Wikipedia