Nuxalk Nation
Bella Coola
The Nuxalk Nation’s territory surrounds the town of Bella Coola, including King Island, Fisher, Burke and Dean Channels, as well as North and South Bentinck Arms.
The Nuxalk Nation’s main community is located in Bella Coola on BC’s Central Coast
Nuxalk Nation
Historically the Nuxalk people occupied 45 permanent villages throughout their territory, located along river banks and at the mouth of rivers.
The largest of these villages were Talyu in Ats’aaxlh (South Bentinck), Suts’lhm (Kimsquit), Satskw’ (Kimsquit River), Nutl’l (Dean River), Kwalhna, and Q’umk’uts’ (the village near what is known today as Bella Coola).
These strategic locations allowed the Nuxalk to access the abundance of fish and other natural resources in their territory.
The “House of Smayusta,” or House of Stories, represents the sovereignty and traditional government of the Nuxalk people. The House of Smayusta brings together Hereditary Chiefs, Elders and community members to discuss issues of importance to the Nuxalk.
According to the House of Smayusta,
The sovereignty of the Nuxalk Nation comes from Tatau, the Creator… Our lands are a sacred gift. The land is provided for the continued use, benefit, and enjoyment of our people, the Nuxalk, and it is our ultimate obligation to Tatau, the Creator, to care for and protect it.
Related to Nuxalk Nation
Coastal Stewardship Network: Collaborative Monitoring and Protection of First Nations’ Lands and Waters
The Coastal Stewardship Network is supporting its member First Nations as they’ve established sophisticated monitoring programs and their analyses informing vital environmental and resource management decisions.
Nuxalk Nation Housing Program Breaks New Ground in Bella Coola
Nuxalk Nation is having a big impact on the landscape of Bella Coola and its members living there. The Nation has developed a groundbreaking housing program designed not only to build homes for its members, but to do so in an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable way.
Keepers of the Coast
A new documentary film is taking a close look at how the Kitasoo/Xai’xais, Heiltsuk, Nuxalk, and Wuikinuxv Nations are stewarding their marine territories.
Nuxalk Organizations and Resources
Online Resources
- Nuxalk - Northwest Coast Village Project
Simon Fraser University - The Bill Reid Centre
- Nuxalk Thunder Mask
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
- Nuxalk Guardian Watchmen
Coastal Stewardship Network
- Nuxalk Nation
Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance
- Q'umk'uts - Northwest Coast Village Project
Simon Fraser University - The Bill Reid Centre
Related Protected Areas
- Bella Coola Estuary Conservancy
- Burnt Bridge Creek Conservancy
- Cascade-Sutslem Conservancy
- Clayton Falls Conservancy
- Codville Lagoon Conservancy
- Codville Lagoon Marine Provincial Park
- Dean River Conservancy
- Dean River Corridor Conservancy
- Ellerslie Roscoe Conservancy
- Hot Springs – No Name Creek Conservancy
- Jump Across Conservancy
- Kimsquit Estuary Conservancy
- Koeye Conservancy
- Kwatna Estuary Conservancy
- Namu Conservancy
- Namu Corridor Conservancy
- Nooseseck Conservancy
- Restoration Bay Conservancy
- Sir Alexander Mackenzie Provincial Park
- Thorsen Creek Conservancy
- Tweedsmuir Provincial Park
- Upper Kimsquit River Conservancy
- Biodiversity, Mining and Tourism Areas