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First Nations
The rich abundance of the Great Bear Rainforest supported highly sophisticated, organized cultures and an intricate trade network.
First Nations have lived in the Great Bear Rainforest since the glaciers of the last Ice Age began to recede.
They are the Gitga'at, Haisla, Heiltsuk, Kitasoo/Xai'xais, Kwakwaka'wakw, Nuxalk and Wuikinuxv. On the Northcoast, they are the Tsimshian tribes, which include Metlakatla, Ktikatla and Gitga’at, the Lax Kw'alaams, Kitsumkalum, Nisg’a and the Haisla. In Haida Gwaii (the Queen Charlotte Islands), there is the Haida.
One of the earliest known Northwest Coast villages is Namu, a 14,000-year-old site in Heiltsuk territory, in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest.
The abundance of the region supported highly sophisticated, organized cultures and an intricate trade network. Some of the tribes practiced early forms of agriculture, cultivating and encouraging the growth of plants like the Northern Rice-root. The striking style of art by many coastal First Nations is admired around the world to this day.
When Europeans arrived, epidemics of disease decimated First Nations populations. Colonial powers attempted to silence and assimilate the people. And the potlatch, one of the most important practices of Northwest Coast cultures, was outlawed in Canada until 1951.
Years of clearcut logging have spread destruction through First Nations’ territory and threatened their way of life.
Today, First Nations continue to fight for recognition of Title and Rights to their ancestral lands. No formal treaties were signed with the First Nations of British Columbia. The resolution of Title and Rights in the absence of treaties is one of the most controversial political debates throughout the province and Canada.
To learn more about Coastal First Nations click on the below links:
Nuxalk House of Smayusta Wuikinuxv
photos: Adrian Dorst (banner), Ben Fox (centre)