LibGuides: Indigenous Hub: Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw

Kwakwaka'wakw territory

Sources: Aboriginal Lands of Canada, BC Assembly of First Nations Map, First Peoples Map of BC, BC First Nations Languages, 4th Ed, 2022, BC First Nations Languages, 3rd Ed, 2018, BC First Nations Community Locations, BC First Nations Treaty Lands

This map probably has errors and omissions and is intended to be amended and refined over time.

BaseMaps: ESRI World Ocean and ESRI World Physical

Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw Nations

Southeastern

We Wai Kai Nation (Cape Mudge Band)
Wei Wai Kum First Nation (Campbell River Indian Band)
Kwiakah First Nation
Tlowitsis Nation
Mamalilikulla First Nation
Namgis First Nation
Da'naxda'xw Awaetlala First Nation
Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis First Nation
Tsawataineuk Indian Band (Dzawada’enuxw)
Dzawada’enuxw First Nation
Gwawaenuk Tribe
Tlatlasikwala First Nation
Gwa'Sala-Nakwaxda'xw Nations
Kwakiutl Indian Band
Quatsino First Nation

Tribal Councils

Treaty Groups

Wei Wai Kum Kwiakah Treaty Society (WKTS)

Select Resources

Browse the Kwakwaka'wakw Collection for additional resources

Paddling to Where I Stand by Martine J. Reid (Editor); Daisy Sewid-Smith (Editor)
Call Number: Electronic

ISBN: 9780774809139

Publication Date: 2004-11-01

The Kwakwakawakw people and their culture have been the subject of more anthropological writings than any other ethnic group on the Northwest Coast. Until now, however, no biography had been written by or about a Kwakwakawakw woman. Paddling to Where I Stand presents the memoirs of Agnes Alfred (c.1890-1992), a non-literate noble Qwiqwasutinuxw woman of the Kwakwakawakw Nation and one of the last great storytellers among her peers in the classic oral tradition. Agnes Alfred documents through myths, historical accounts, and personal reminiscences the foundations and the enduring pulse of her living culture. She shows how a First Nations woman managed to quietly fulfill her role as a noble matriarch in her ever-changing society, thus providing a role model for those who came after her. She also contributes significant light and understanding to several traditional practices including prearranged marriages and traditional potlatches. Paddling to Where I Stand is more than another anthropological interpretation of Kwakwaka'wakw culture. It is the first-hand account, by a woman, of the greatest period of change she and her people experienced since first contact with Europeans, and her memoirs flow from her urgently felt desire to pass on her knowledge to younger generations.
Identity Through A Journey With Our Ancestors by Marie Loreen Hunt
Call Number: Electronic

Publication Date: 2009

Thesis
“Playing the hand you’re dealt”: an analysis of Musg̱a̱makw Dzawada̱'enux̱w traditional governance and its resurgence by “Playing the hand you’re dealt”: an analysis of Musg̱a̱makw Dzawada̱'enux̱w traditional governance and its resurgence
Call Number: Electronic

Publication Date: 2019

Thesis. The Musg̱a̱makw Dzawada̱’enux̱w have lived since time immemorial in what is now known as central British Columbia. This thesis identifies who the Musg̱a̱makw Dzawada̱’enux̱w are, their form of self-government and their political organization before a “Band and Council” system was imposed by the government of Canada. This thesis also presents how literacy was appropriated by the Musg̱a̱makw Dzawada̱’enux̱w and the broader community of the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw in the late 19th Century through to the 20th Century to document and sustain their own form of governance and political organization. It describes how the traditional governance was deeply engaged in processes which upheld deep connectivity between community and the land. In conclusion it argues that a return to traditional self-government would strengthen and be beneficial to current Musg̱a̱makw Dzawada̱’enux̱w and Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw people by addressing some of the current issues faced by communities struggling to maintain their ways of life while facing pressure to assimilate to colonial structures.
Assu of Cape Mudge by Joy Inglis; Harry Assu
Call Number: Electronic

ISBN: 9780774803410

Publication Date: 1989-01-01

Harry Assu, a chief of the Lekwiltok -- the southernmost tribe ofthe Kwagiulth Nation -- was born in 1905 in Cape Mudge, Quadra Island,British Columbia. His father was Billy Assu, one of the most renowned chiefs of the Northwest, who led his people from a traditional way oflife into modern prosperity. As well as being a family chronicle, Harry Assu's recollections tell the little-known story of the Lekwiltok from legendary times to the present. Drawing on the oral traditions of his people, he narrates the story of the 'Great Flood' which gave sacred sanction to territories settled by them. Hand-drawn and historical maps illustratehis account of coastal alliances and raids by other tribes over the last two centuries and provide an understanding of the current land and sea claims of the Kwagiulth Nation.
Da̱nx̱a̱laga̱litła̱n’s ‘We Will Sing in the House’: Reclaiming Domains of the Home Through Song in Kwak̓wala by La̱lx̱sa̱n Dala’og̱wa (Keisha Everson)
Call Number: Electronic

"This project outlines the process of researching about and composing four songs in the Kwakwa̱ ka̱ ’wakw song format for the purposes of Kwak̕wala language revitalization. The Kwakwa̱ ka̱ ’wakw are an Indigenous people from Northern Vancouver Island, some surrounding islands, and the adjacent mainland of British Columbia. The language of the Kwakwa̱ ka̱ ’wakw is Kwak̓ wala, which falls under the Wakashan language family. The project “Da̱ nx̱ a̱ laga̱ litła̱ n’s ‘We Will Sing in the House’: Reclaiming Domains of the Home Through Song in Kwak̓ wala” is about using song in Kwak̕wala and in a culturally-specific Kwakwa̱ ka̱ ’wakw format to aid and enable language learning in the home.

U'Mista Cultural Centre
The mandate of the U'mista Cultural Society is to ensure the survival of all aspects of the cultural heritage of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw. One of the objectives of the Society was the development of a facility to carry out the aims of the society. The present facility was opened in November of 1980. The focus of the permanent collection is the "Potlatch Collection". The other permanent exhibits on display include description of the traditional ethnobiology of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw and origin stories of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw villages, as well as, historical and contemporary Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw objects
Nuyumbalees Cultural Centre
The Nuyumbalees Society was founded in 1975 by hereditary and elected Chiefs of the Kwakwaka’wakw people, to negotiate the return of their potlatch treasures and regalia (Kikasuw). The society has been entrusted with the care and preservation of a priceless and historic collection of original Kwakwaka’wakw Kikasuw returned in February, 1979. Since its inception, the Nuyumbalees Society has been committed to the care and preservation of the Potlatch Collection and to the revitalization of the Kwakwaka’wakw language, culture and traditions through cultural education programs.

Commissions & Inquiries

Commissions and Inquiries collect testimonies, oral histories, historical records and important research reports. They bring to light narratives that are often suppressed or ignored in mainstream accounts. Below is a selection of commission transcripts that relate to the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw Nation.

Browse the Commissions, Inquiries and Inquests section of this guide for more resources

The McKenna-McBride Commission (Royal Commission on Indian Affairs for the Province of British Columbia, 1912-1916)

The Royal Commission on Indian Affairs for the Province of British Columbia, commonly known as The McKenna-McBride Commission, was established in 1912 to tackle the "Indian reserve question" in the province. Between 1913 and 1916, the commissioners traveled extensively across British Columbia, collecting evidence from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals regarding the adequacy of reserves. They conducted hearings and visited nearly every band to understand their land needs. Although the commission aimed to resolve land disputes, it has faced criticism for contributing to the dispossession of Indigenous lands and failing to address the broader issue of Aboriginal title.

Testimonies and Primary Sources

Kwawkewlth Agency Testimony

Kwak̓wala

Aboriginal languages - New canoe (Television program) by Barbara Hage (Host)
Publication Date: 2005

Episode from season four (2005) of The new canoe. Host Barbara Hager visits Alert Bay where she meets Ethel Alfred and Vera Newman, two fluent Kwakwala speakers who are working diligently to keep the language alive. The episode also features John Elliott and other Saanich community members who are working to preserve the Sencoten language.