Kwiakah Nation

Phillips Arm and Stuart Island

The Kwiakah First Nation is one of the smallest First Nations in British Columbia.

Philips River. Photo courtesy of Kwiakah Nation

The Kwiakah Nation’s main community is located in Campbell River on Vancouver Island. The Nation’s historic villages were located in Philips Arm and Stuart Island on BC’s South Central Coast

Kwiakah Nation

The Kwiakah Nation’s territory encompasses the south central coast of BC, centred on Phillips Arm and Stuart Island. The Kwiakah territory also encompasses Phillips Estuary Conservancy which contains the historical village site of Hwihawi, while the Nəts’inuxw (Matsayno) village site is located on the Kwiakah reserve.

The location of these two villages, culturally modified trees, shell middens and other important archeological features in and around the Kwiakah territory demonstrates the important of the area to the Kwiakah First Nation in historical and cultural terms.

See Projects

The Kwiakah First Nation speaks the Lekwala language and is recognized as a member of the larger Laich-Kwil-Tach group. While most of the Kwiakah First Nation members live in Campbell River, the Nation has made the decision to return to its traditional territory and begin living there again. New economic opportunities and partnerships hope to allow the Kwiakah to thrive in their traditional territory once more.

The Kwiakah Nation fosters active community participation in decision making. Youth are involved in regular meetings with the Nation’s leadership to contribute to the strategic direction of the Kwiakah Nation. The Kwiakah leadership believes that economic development will be a driving force for the future of the Nation as well as an important assertion of aboriginal rights.

Kwiakah Nation Projects

In partnership with Coast Funds, Kwiakah Nation has invested in:

First Nation	Applicant	Project	Description	Links	Type	Year	Funding
Kwiakah Nation	Kwiakah First Nation	Kwiakah Centre for Excellence & Kelp Test Farm	To develop the Kwiakah Kelp Farm and Kwiakah Centre of (scientific) Excellence to study kelp farming and a diversity of related investigations.		Economic Development Fund	2023	$ 438,828
Kwiakah Nation	Kwiakah First Nation	Adaptive Strategies for Stewardship in Phillips Arm	To evolve strategies for the conservation of the Phillips Arm estuary and surrounding forests, including advancing a 100-year management plan that incorporates climate, salmon, kelp, and soil research; furthering field research that informs the management plan; and undertaking a pilot project that will enable the Nation to develop measures to preserve and regenerate old-growth.		Conservation Fund	2022	$ 20,000
Kwiakah Nation	Kwiakah First Nation	Research and Strategic Plan to Acquire TFL 39 Block 5	To develop the necessary strategic plan to facilitate fundraising and negotiations to acquire Tree Farm License (TFL) 39 Block 5 at the Phillips River watershed so the Nation can eventually exercise their inherent rights and apply regenerative forestry practices in their territory, and to understand the needs to develop a 100-yr Management Plan for the TFL once acquired.		Conservation Fund	2021	$ 10,000
Kwiakah Nation	Kwiakah First Nation	Assessment of Seaweed Abundance and Spatial Distribution – 2019/20 Projects	To undertake the second phase of a comprehensive research assessment of Kwiakah First Nation's marine environment that endeavours to determine the biomass and abundance for seaweed species, to uphold Kwiakah's ban on the wild harvest of ocean plants in Kwiakah's core territory, to development of a research protocol in partnership with North Island College for evaluating the amount of carbon sequestered by kelp (i.e. blue carbon value), and to ensure strong community participation in research projects and input into stewardship-related engagements with the provincial government and commercial harvesters operating in the region.		Conservation Fund	2019	$ 10,000
Kwiakah Nation	Kwiakah First Nation	Assessment of Seaweed Abundance and Spatial Distribution	To undertake a comprehensive research assessment of Kwiakah First Nation's marine environment to determine biomass and abundance for seaweed species, a project that will inform regulatory decisions related to commercial harvesting operations in the territory; spatially map seaweed resources; and identify locations ideal for Kwiakah to culture marine seaweeds in the future.		Conservation Fund	2018	$ 10,000
Kwiakah Nation	Kwiakah First Nation	Phillips River Watershed – Grizzly Bear Population Inventory	To continue stewardship initiatives through a scientific survey to develop a population inventory of grizzly bears in the Phillips River watershed based on DNA evidence and remote camera use, thus supporting the Nation's efforts to mitigate further ecological damage within the watershed to prevent extirpation of grizzly bears from Kwiakah territory		Conservation Fund	2017	$ 10,000
Kwiakah Nation	Kwiakah First Nation	Phillips River Watershed – Grizzly Bear Recovery Strategy	To continue the Nation's stewardship initiatives in the Phillips River watershed by developing a comprehensive grizzly bear recovery strategy that will assist the Nation in mitigating further ecological damage within the watershed to prevent extirpation of grizzly bears from Kwiakah territory		Conservation Fund	2016	$ 15,000
Kwiakah Nation	Kwiakah First Nation	Phillips River Watershed – Salmon Data Analysis and Industrial Impact Assessment	To continue the Nation's research that seeks to determine if a potential correlation exists between salmon productivity/survival and forestry harvests in the Phillips River watershed in order to inform the Nation in developing measures to mitigate future impacts on Chum and Pink salmon species		Conservation Fund	2016	$ 25,000
Kwiakah Nation	Kwiakah First Nation	Phillips Arm/ᕈNacinuxᵂ Conservancy – Clam and Eelgrass Research	To expand on the Nation's field research in the Phillips Arm estuary and watershed to determine the presence, distribution, and production of Eelgrass and bivalves that will enable the Nation to develop measures to mitigate industrial impacts on these species	Project Story	Conservation Fund	2015	$ 25,000
Kwiakah Nation	Kwiakah First Nation	Phillips Arm/ᕈNacinuxᵂ Conservancy – Estuary and Watershed Research	To evaluate the abundance and habitat requirements of priority aquatic species, assess impacts of industrial activities, and recommend management practices to sustain priority species' populations in the Phillips Arm estuary and watershed	Project Story	Conservation Fund	2014	$ 25,000
Kwiakah Nation	Kwiakah First Nation	Youth/Elders Culture and Language Camp – 2013	To partner with We Wai Kai and We Wai Kum Nations for a one week language and culture camp for youth that is led by two elders, an archaeologist/anthropologist, and a cultural mentor		Conservation Fund	2013	$ 2,000
Kwiakah Nation	Kwiakah First Nation	Phillips Arm/ᕈNacinuxᵂ Conservancy – Mudslide Remediation	To ensure continuation of the Nation's salmon enhancement initiatives, including biological monitoring of salmon stocks, by repairing the conservancy's single access road that had recently washed out	Project Story	Conservation Fund	2012	$ 11,374