|
The Mowachaht ("people of the deer") are a NOOTKA Indian tribe of NOOTKA SOUND, Vancouver Island. They are also known as the Nootka, which is also the ethnolinguistic name for many tribes with similar languages and culture on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The Mowachaht formerly consisted of 2 independent tribal groups that amalgamated as a result of disease and prolonged warfare in the historic period. Their traditional territories include the outer coast of Nootka Island, Nootka Sound, Tahsis Inlet and Tlupana Inlet. Tribal villages were Yuquot and Coopte. Archaeological investigations reveal that Yuquot has been occupied by native people for at least 4300 years.
Prior to the formation of the Mowachaht, the tribal group at Yuquot was the first Nootkan people to have extensive contact with Europeans. They traded sea otter pelts with Capt James COOK in 1778, and controlled all native trade with his ships. Cook's crew found that the sea otter pelts could be sold for great profit in China, and a maritime FUR TRADE in sea otter pelts began in 1785. Yuquot, known as Nootka and Friendly Cove, soon became a major trading centre. The Yuquot, led by Chief MAQUINNA, controlled the trade at Nootka Sound, and became wealthy and powerful. In 1789 a Spanish expedition built a military post at Yuquot, and seized British trading ships, resulting in the NOOTKA SOUND CONTROVERSY. By the mid-1790s the trade declined at Nootka Sound. This may have influenced Maquinna to capture the trading ship Boston in 1803, ending the sea otter trade at Nootka Sound. Reduction from prolonged warfare and European-introduced diseases caused many of the groups to amalgamate. In the 19th century the 2 tribal groups of Tahsis and Tlupana Inlets joined, forming the Mowachaht. In the 20th century they were joined by the MUCHALAHT, whose band officially merged with the Mowachaht band. Today the Mowachaht live at the village of Ahaminaquus, near Gold River, and at Yuquot. The combined population of the Mowachaht and Muchalaht in 1996 was less than 500 people.
Author
JOHN DEWHIRST
Links to Other Sites
Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples
The website for the "Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples." Click on the links for feature articles about Canada's many multicultural communities, access to their extensive digital archives collection, learning modules, and much more. From "Multicultural Canada."
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| David Thompson was an outsider, struggling to find a foothold in the empire that had consumed his country... |
|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Evangelical Christian Church, often called the Christian Church (Christian Disciples), is a denomination stemming from ... |
|
|
| The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. The original members - ... |
|
|
| Sears Canada Inc, headquartered in Toronto, is a Canadian retailer incorporated in 1952. In 1953 operating under the ... |
|
|
| John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ... |
|
|
| Land claims are dealt with by a process established by the federal government to enable INDIANS, INUIT and ... |
|
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.
| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
|
| Tony or Anthony (Antonio Alfredo) Bradan (b Bradanovich). Teacher, guitarist, arranger, b Ladner, south of Vancouver, of Yugoslavian-Canadian parents, 6 Oct 1913. He studied in Vancouver with Roy Barry (guitar) and Pasquale Fiore ... |
|
|
