Nuxalk Nation

The Nuxalk Nation is the band government of the Nuxalk people of Bella Coola, British Columbia. It is a member of the Oweekeno-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council, and until March 2008 was a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization. The population is 1,479.[1]

Nuxalk Nation
Religious ceremony with Totems and the playing of frame drums, from an edition of 1897, illustration by Wilhelm Sievers
Total population
1,479[1]
Regions with significant populations
Bella Coola, British Columbia
Languages
English, Nuxálk
Related ethnic groups
other Nuxalk people
Nuxalk Nation masks, collection of the UBC Museum of Anthropology

Etymology

"Nuxalk" is singular; "Nuxalkmc" is plural.

Community

Q'umk'uts', a Nuxalk community that is located at the confluence of the Bella Coola River and the Pacific Ocean is currently home to the majority of the Nuxalk population, is located in the Bella Coola Valley, in British Columbia. It is on the Nation's primary reserve (which is much smaller than the Nation's traditional territory), adjacent to the Bella Coola "townsite", the Central business district for the Valley. Nuxalk Hall is a community center, where potlatches and social events are held. The Nuxalk Basketball Association hosts games in the hall.[1]

The Nuxalkmc were wrongfully categorized as "Coast Salish". Today the Nuxalkmc are classified under their own distinct category.

Language

The Nuxalk Nation traditionally has spoken the Nuxalk language. Today there are an estimated 5 fluent speakers, 80 conversational speakers, and 140 learning speakers.[1] Recent (from 2014) work has included the creation of Nuxalk-language radio programming, work towards an expanded Nuxalk-English dictionary and a new online phrasebook.

History

Located at the mouth of the Bella Coola River, the nation was only accessible by foot, air, or boat until 1953, when a road was constructed. Nuxalk people have lived in the region for millennia. Norwegian people settled in the area in the 1890s.[1]

Ethnobotany

The Nuxalk apply a poultice of pounded roots of Ranunculus acris to boils.[2] They take a decoction of leaves Antennaria howellii for body pain, but not pain in the limbs.[3] A full list of their ethnobotany can be found at http://naeb.brit.org/uses/tribes/21/ (387 documented plant uses).

Notes
  1. "Nuxalk Nation." First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia. Retrieved 11 Aug 2013.
  2. Smith, Harlan I. 1929 Materia Medica of the Bella Coola and Neighboring Tribes of British Columbia. National Museum of Canada Bulletin 56:47-68 (p. 57)
  3. Smith, Harlan I., 1929, Materia Medica of the Bella Coola and Neighboring Tribes of British Columbia, National Museum of Canada Bulletin 56:47-68, page 65

It is estimated the population of the Nuxalkmc people were in the thousands amongst different villages. Stories suggest there were approximately ten thousand to thirty thousand spanning the whole Bella Coola Valley and surrounding inlets.

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See also
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