From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Aboriginals: Wakashans/Alan Mcmillan
Since no overarching political identity existed, even among people speaking the same language, warfare was a common feature of traditional Wakashan life. Hostilities also occurred with nonWakashans. Early in the historic period the Coastal Tsimshian forcefully displaced some of the northern Wakashans, while several groups of Kwakwaka’wakw expanded southward at the expense of the neighbouring Coast Salish.
Trade linked the Wakashan communities and their neighbours. Commodities such as eulachon oil, dentalium shells, and slaves were traded along the coast and far into the interior. When European items were introduced, they were rapidly distributed along indigenous trade routes. For example, when Vancouver’s expedition reached northeastern Vancouver Island in 1792, they found the Kwakwaka’wakw already in possession of muskets, which they had acquired in overland trade with the Nuu-chah-nulth.
Social interaction fostered intermarriage, which in turn resulted in the transfer of names and ceremonial privileges between groups. The Haisla intermarried with the Coastal Tsimshian, adopting from them the matrilineal clan system. The Heiltsuk were so intermarried with the Nuxalk (or Bella Coola) that some villages were bilingual. This led to considerable overlap in the traditional territories claimed by these groups today.
Wakashan individuals continue to interact with their neighbours, native and non-native. Many reserves are adjacent to non-native communities, and so there is extensive contact between them. Movement off-reserve has introduced many Wakashans to urban life and increased the likelihood of marriage with other cultural groups. Most individuals who choose to reside in towns or cities maintain close ties to their “home” reserves, making frequent visits for ceremonial or social occasions.
Although their languages and cultural practices were eroded by residential schools and the Indian Act, the Wakashan succeeded in maintaining much of their heritage and identity.
Two museums demonstrate the Wakashans’ cultural resiliency. In the late nineteenth century, legal suppression of the potlatch had resulted in forced surrender of many items used in such feasts. When the potlatch once again became legal, the Kwakwaka’wakw pressed the federal government for return of their lost treasures. By 1980 museums had been constructed in Alert Bay and Cape Mudge, with the newly returned artefacts forming the basis of their collections. These facilities serve today not just as static museum displays but as dynamic community cultural centres, promoting indigenous traditions and languages.
Wakashan artistic achievements also provide a highly visible source of cultural identity and pride. Poles, masks, silkscreen prints, and gold and silver jewelry are among the works produced by modern artists. Most pieces are purchased by non-native collectors and museums, but some are made for native use in potlatches and dances. Among many talented Kwakwaka’wakw artists, members of the Hunt family, particularly the brothers Tony and Richard Hunt, have achieved international reputations. Nuu-chah-nulth artists Joe David and Art Thompson have also received widespread recognition.
Though the challenges they face are formidable, they are endeavouring – through educational programs, various forms of cultural expression, and political struggle – to ensure that their sense of identity as a people is strengthened and passed on intact to the next generation.
