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The Wuikinuxv Nation has been here since time immemorial. Our people were
here, under various names, since time began. Archaeologists have found settlements in
the area that are 10,000 years old.
What is now Wuikinuxv is an amalgamation of many settlements that had their
permanent villages in the lake and Koeye and on Calvert Island. Contact brought the
Nations disease, conflict and a different economic climate. It introduced money as the
currency of the day instead of trade-able goods.
As a result of these events, many of the populations of the different Peoples in the Rivers
Inlet area, including Wuikinuxv, left their settlements on the outer coast and joined up
with other settlements who were going through the same problems.
The cyclic lifestyle of the people now known as the Wuikinuxv slowly stopped revolving
around the hunting and gathering, preserving and trading lifestyle that people knew.
Their cycles began to be tied to the commerce built around the logging and commercial
fishing industries.
At first it was woven in the hunting and fishing lifestyle and the people would leave their fishing plant jobs to go and do their own hunting, fishing, preserving and trading. Since the fishery was seasonal, it left time to continue a modified form of the lifestyle.
As the people grew more dependent on the hard currency of the dollar, it limited those hunting and fishing opportunities. So the communities grew more permanent and the many communities became the current village on the Wanukv River.
In 2011 the Wuikinuxv Nation collaborated with the UBC Museum of Anthropology Sourcebook to produce a 37 page sourcebook entitled "We Are The Wuikinuxv Nation". The sourcebook was written by Pam Brown, MOA Curator, Pacific Northwest
WHO WE ARE
THE LAND OF THE HAMACA
The Wuikinuxv traditional territory has a long and rich cultural history. The
Wuikinuxv people were of high rank within the Hamatsa society and were sought
after as mates. The Hamatsa dance society originated in Wuikinuxv and spread
across the coast through marriage. Many people recognize some of the known
songs and dances as holding their origins from Wuikinuxv territory. We would like
to take this time to thank everyone who has kept this legacy alive.
The Wuikinuxv people built the House of Nuakawa, our new big house, in 2005.
Since then we've had many feasts, potlatches, community gatherings, funerals and
General Assemblies within its walls. The building of the big house has been a
source of strength and pride for the Wuikinuxv people. It has lead to a revival of
interest in the Potlatch culture.