Our Land | Our People | Living Tradition, The Kwakwaka'wakw Potlatch on the Northwest Coast

Our Land

Kwakwaka'wakw Territories

Kwakwaka'wakw means, “the people who speak Kwak´wala.” The coloured area of this map shows the different First Nations that speak Kwak´wala including:

Kwagu’ł First Nation
Mamalilikala First Nation
‘Namgis First Nation
Ławit´sis First Nation
Awa’etłala First Nation
Da’naxda’xw First Nation
Ma’amtagila First Nation
Dzawada’enuxw First Nation
Kwikwasut´inuxw First Nation
Haxwa’mis First Nation
Gwawa’enuxw First Nation
‘Nak´waxda’xw First Nation
Gwa’sala First Nation
Gusgimukw First Nation
Gwat´sinuxw First Nation
T´łat´łasikwala First Nation
Weka’yi First Nation
Wiwek’am First Nation

Map: Eric Leinberger for U’mista Cultural Society

Origin story of the ‘Namgis people

If you ask a Kwakwaka'wakw person what the design on their button blanket is, or what a dance means, they will tell you a story like this…

Film: Barb Cranmer, UCC

Image shows a roof section of the Alert Bay Bighouse, consisting of cedar beams and a cross-pole on which a Sisiyutł figure is carved and painted.

For our people, the 'Namgis, we originated from the Nimpkish River, or Gwa'ni, as we call it. Where 'Namxiyalagiyu, a halibut-like monster came ashore at the mouth of the river. He transformed himself to a man named 'Namukustolis. 'Namukustolis wanted to build himself a big house, but was unable to lift the huge house posts by himself. He saw a Thunderbird sitting on a rock, and wished the Thunderbird would help him. The Thunderbird said, "Yes, I will help." And he flew up to lift the house posts into place with his talons. The name 'Namgis comes from the name of the creature, 'Namxiyalagiyu, who became the man, 'Namukustolis. These origins affirm that our people have been here from the beginning.

Kwakwaka'wakw Territories

The Kwakwaka'wakw of British Columbia have built a rich culture that reflects and acknowledges the riches in our natural environment. Our songs, stories, dances, and ceremonial objects honor the animals, rivers, cedar trees, salmon, and all those things that help to sustain the Kwakwaka'wakw physically and spiritually.

The sea life, particularly the salmon, the oolichan (pronounced:OO-la-kin)—a silvery, smeltlike fish—and the cedar tree are among the resources in the natural environment that have long made the Kwakwaka'wakw both spiritually and materially rich. For the Kwakwaka'wakw, the “good life” is not only about plenty of food and resources, but also about how we have used the resources, how we express our connection to living things, and our appreciation of those things that sustain them.

The Kwakwaka'wakw believe that animals, rivers, and trees are powerful beings that long ago existed in both the human world and the spirit world. The Kwakwaka'wakw coexisted with these ancestral beings and came to be related to certain animal spirits such as the salmon. The Kwakwaka'wakw believe that our wealth, which comes from our surroundings, is a result of our connection to the spirit beings. It is through the potlatch—an elaborate gift-giving and feasting ceremony—that we offer thanks to the ancestral spirits for their generosity, share our riches, and celebrate family ties.

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