| A long time
ago, when the world was still young, at a time when many spirit beings
wandered the world, a man named Gwa'nalalis and his family settled at a
place called Xwalkw. After a time a supernatural being named Kaniki'lakw, came to Gwa'nalalis and asked him, |
|
| "Do
you want to be a mountain"? Gwa'nalalis answered, "No, for mountains
have slides and then crumble away for as long as the days dawn in the
world". |
|
Culturally Modified Cedar at 'Yalis |
He
was then asked if he wanted to be a cedar tree and Gwa'nalalis again
answed "No, for cedar trees when struck by lightning, split and fall,
then they rot for as long as the days dawn in the world". Gwa'nalalis
was then asked, "Do you want to be a large boulder"? He answered, "No,
for I may crack and then crumble away for as long as the days dawn in
the world". Finally, Gwa'nalalis was asked, "Do you want to become a
river"? He answered, "Yes, let me become a river that I may flow for as
long as the days dawn in the world". |
| So the supernatural being, Kaniki'lakw,
put his hand on Gwa'nalalis forehead and pushed him down saying, "There
you will be a river for as long as the days dawn in the world, and you
will be full of salmon so that your descendants may never starve." The
river is still known as Gwa'ni. It is the river of the 'Namgis. |
Gwa'ni River |
|
It was at this river, Gwa'ni, that Captain George Vancouver encountered the 'Namgis people in 1792. As a result of European contact the river came to bear the name of the 'Namgis, although it was translated as the Nimpkish River. At the time of contact with Captain Vancouver, the 'Namgis
were already familiar with European trade goods, largely as a result of
their established trade with their neighbors, the Nuu-Chah-Nulth, on
the west coast of Northern Vancouver Island. The 'Namgis were one Nation among many other Kwakwaka'wakw Nations who, it has been estimated, had a combined population of eight to ten thousand people.
The villages of the 'Namgis were organized into extended family units ('na'mima) each sharing a single Big House. The ceremonies and rituals of the Potlatch regulated all aspects of 'Namgis social life. Central
to that social life was a reverence for the natural world. For example,
when taking and using anything of the natural world the 'Namgis always thanked the spirits inhabiting those things for giving themselves up for use by the 'Namgis.
The first European settlement and the establishment of a non-aboriginal economy amidst the 'Namgis
began in the 1880s. The first industry to be established was a fish
saltry at Alert Bay on Cormorant Island. Since that time the 'Namgis
have been intimately involved in virtually every part of the economic
life of the North Island. It was as a result of their involvement in the
local economy and as well as the influence of missionaries, that the 'Namgis people have since abandoned their village at Xwalk at the mouth of the Nimpkish River. The 'Namgis now reside at their village called 'Yalis at Alert Bay. The traditional territory of the 'Namgis and the resources contained therein continue to be a vital part of their culture and social life today. |
