Hereditary chiefs retain these special privileges to this day.
This chief inherited special rights to territory, histories and cultural customs. For generations, the name Maquinna became that of the highest-ranking chief of the Mowachaht people. One of the most well-known Mowachaht (and more generally, Nuu-chah-nulth) chiefs was Maquinna, who met James Cook in Nootka Sound in the late 1700s. (from the book Building a Competitive First Nation Investment Climate, Tulo Centre of Indigenous Economics). The Kwakiutl traded knives, chisels, nails, buttons, iron, and any kind of metal (their land provided these types of resources and they obtained some from trade with the Coast Salish) as well as carved works, spears, fish hooks and other such implements. Their primary trade partners were the Kwakiutl, who were located northeast of the Nootka on present-day Vancouver Island. Whales yielded a number of tradable food products including blubber, flesh and oil. The Nootka specialized in whaling and seal/otter hunting. Like the West Coast Trail this hiking adventure provides all the majestic wilderness and marine experiences but is the only west coast trail that provides an opportunity to possibly get a glimpse of the island wolves that are and continues to be a major part of the peoples culture and spirit world. If you listen closely you might hear the elders talking or the spirits singing.įor the more adventurous, Yuquot village is the kick off point for the Nootka Trail, a 5 day hike along the west coast shores of Nootka Island to Louie Bay. Stop and listen to the waves crashing on to the beach. Walk peacefully along the beautiful pebble beach while admiring the breathtaking scenic landscapes and maybe catch a glimpse of a migrating Grey or a Humpback Whales rubbing on the beaches.
Plans to build a Yuquot Cultural and Interpretive Centre and Exhibition House are underway to showcase historic artefacts and culture, and in 2017 Mowachaht/Muchalaht applied for World Heritage Site status under the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).įor a unique and tranquil experience, stay a few nights in one of our six rustic cabins or camp at one of our wilderness sites. Traditionally, Yuquot was a summer gathering place for the Nuu-chah-nulth, coinciding with the harvest season to celebrate strength, commerce and hospitality. Mowachaht/Muchalaht were the first group of the region’s First Nations to have contact with Europeans, when British Captain James Cook and his crew first set foot on Vancouver Island in 1778, setting off more than a century of successful trade with the new colonies. Yuquot (Friendly Cove) means “where the winds blow from many directions”. In each these places we would reconnect with seasonal abundances like the spring migrations of herring that sought out our sheltered coves, and the summer migrations of salmon headed to local rivers like the Canuma, Burma and the Gold. While Yuquot is one of our main villages, traditionally we also moved seasonally to Tahsis in the north, and Tsaxana (Gold River) to the east following our harvest seasons. Our ancestors were great whale hunters, pursuing them far out to sea in large ocean-going canoes from our Community at Yuquot (Friendly Cove) on the southern tip of Nootka Island. Our traditional lifestyles are based on a long history of whaling, fishing, hunting and foraging. One of 14 member nations of the Nuu-chah-nulth, Mowachaht/Muchalaht have enjoyed the rich diversity of our land and waters since time immemorial and work today to manage and sustain this rich ecosystem for future generations. Inshore from this island are several deep fjords reaching far inland to the north, south, and east which are fed by more than a dozen salmon-bearing rivers, making this one of the most diverse and productive chinook salmon fisheries on Canada’s west coast. Covering an area of more than 2500 square kilometers, Nootka sound is protected from the open sea by Nootka Island.
We are the salmon fisheries of Mowachaht / Muchalaht First Nations located in and around Nootka Sound on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.