Ten moons before a hunt were to commence the whalers initiated rituals of sacrifice, purification and spiritual preparation. The majority of traditional Nuu-Chah-Nulth stories, myths and songs ask the spiritual powers for help securing a successful whale hunt. Even the most utilitarian objects became symbols of the hunt, coloring every aspect of life on land. The importance of the whale and the whale hunt manifested in every part of Nuu-Chah-Nulth village life. The danger of the sea, even in the most sea-worthy canoes, made surviving the hunt with their enormous bounty a tenuous endeavor. Like many other Northwest Coast peoples, the potlatch, a ceremonial celebration to demarcate transference of property or identity, was an integral aspect of Nuu-Chah-Nulth culture that the Nuu-Chah-Nulth people continue to practice today.įor centuries, whale hunting was the primary source of livelihood for the Nuu-Chah-Nulth. The chief customarily passes possessions – land, names, dances, songs, alliances, privileges, and his material wealth – to the next generation through elaborate ceremonies. The Nuu-Chah-Nulth people compose a single cultural group of nineteen different nations, each with their own territory, hereditary chief and distinct dialect. Yuquot has yielded rich archaeological evidence that the great whaling nation of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth has inhabited this area for more than 5,000 years. When landing at Yuquot (Friendly Cove) in 1778, Captain James Cook began referring to the Nuu-Chah-Nulth as “Nootka” after misinterpreting the Mowachahts repeated request for his ship to “travel around the cove”, as the name of the community. This title refers to their traditional lands – fertile lands of salmon and cedar stretching from the coastal mountain range to the bountiful waters of the Pacific Ocean. This is Victorian England at its darkest, and there’s a good chance things won’t end well for James.The indigenous people of the West Coast of Vancouver Island call themselves the Nuu-Chah-Nulth, or “all along the mountains”.

This is a dirty, grimy show designed as the antithesis of “Downton Abbey,” “The Young Victoria,” and all those Anglophile nostalgia tales. We get the feeling that James Delaney’s fight over Nootka Sound on “Taboo” won’t end nearly as cleanly as the Nootka Crisis did. and Canada was established by the Oregon Treaty.

This conflict didn’t come to much, however, and came two a close in 1846 when the present boundary between the U.S. This ended up leading to a dispute with Britain because America wanted sole ownership of the Pacific Northwest - the British cited the Nootka Convention as a counter.Īlso Read: All 48 'Game of Thrones' Main Characters, Ranked Worst to Best (Photos) The Nootka Convention would be revised twice in the next half-decade to settle further disputes between Britain and Spain.Īfter the War of 1812 between the Americans and British, Spain abandoned its claim to the Pacific Northwest and handed it over to the U.S. Without France’s support, Spain decided against war and in late 1790 negotiated a truce with England called the Nootka Convention, which allowed both countries to settle the Pacific Northwest. A few years later, Louis XVI lost his head, and that Revolution began. Unfortunately for him, the French National Assembly challenged his ability to declare war unchecked and began to resent his authority, meaning Nootka Sound, way over on the West Coast of North America, played a role in the run-up to the French Revolution. In return, Spain turned to France for help, and King Louis XVI was eager to oblige.Īlso Read: Tom Hardy on Whether He'd Ever Do Another Rom-Com Britain and Spain nearly started a war over control of the inlet, with Britain calling in Holland for aid. The British took exception to Spain’s blanket claim to all that unsettled land and sent warships to Vancouver Island, creating a standoff known as the Nootka Crisis. The Spanish settlers, led by Esteban Jose Martinez, began fending off and seizing British ships that entered the area attempting to trade with the locals.

Having long held a claim on the entire Pacific Northwest, Spain established its first settlement on Vancouver Island, Santa Cruz d Nuca, in 1789. Nootka Sound was a major point of interest for the same reason East India Trading wanted it on “Taboo.” As a sound, it allowed ships to dock in a safe area of water protected from the open ocean, making it the perfect spot for a coastal trading post that allowed easy access to China. tensions rose between Britain and Spain as they fought for control of the Pacific Northwest.

Nootka tribe history