Haíɫzaqv
Denis Finnin/AMNH Anthropology catalog 16/2365
Selected features from the Northwest Coast Hall.
The Haíłzaqv people have lived on the central coast of British Columbia in and around Wágḷísḷa (Bella Bella) since time began. We have an inalienable connection to the land and waters of our territory. This relationship extends from our Nation’s past, shaping both our present and future.
Haíłzaqvḷa
Haíłzaqvḷa is the language of the Haíłzaqv nation. Learn some common words and phrases.
Speakers: Marina Humchitt, Shirley Windsor; Recorded by: Ǧvu̓í Rory Housty
Haíłzaqv Constitution and Conservation
Learn more about the Haíłzaqv Constitution, which has been developed for Haíłzaqv, by Haíłzaqv.
Grizzly Bear and Human Links
In 2006, the Haíłzaqv people partnered with the Museum and The Nature Conservancy to implement a grizzly bear survey project with a unique dimension.
From the outset, the study was designed to uphold the Haíłzaqv nation’s Gvi’ilas, or customary law, a set of guiding principles that frame a worldview focused on core values.
Using non-invasive DNA analysis, the authors described a grizzly bear “highway,” identifying nearly 60 individual bears, many who traveled hundreds of miles from surrounding areas to feed on autumn-spawning salmon in the Koeye River.
The Koeye River Conservancy is one of numerous protected areas designated by the Haíłzaqv First Nation in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia in 2009. The Haíłzaqv people settled in this area more than 9,000 years ago and are now reasserting their rights as guardians of the Koeye River.
More recently, a 2021 publication with some of the same authors demonstrated the interdependence of humans, ecosystems, and animals. Their genetic analysis identified three genetically distinct populations of grizzly bears whose geographies corresponded to similar areas of three Indigenous language families.
Their findings suggest that “the pattern of genetic grouping may be more linked to what the landscape can provide in resources than what it can limit in resistance,” like hard-to-traverse landscapes or large waterways said co-authors Lauren Henson and Jennifer Walkus. “Bears and people both learn from their ancestors what to eat and where.”
What appealed to us was the opportunity to root science in strong cultural stewardship frameworks. We articulate specific Haíłzaqv laws and customs related to respect and reciprocity and match them with scientific tools and knowledge to put those principles in action.
—Dúqva̓ísḷa | William Housty,
Haíłzaqv Integrated Resource Management Department
Herring Roe Fishery
Herring roe, or eggs, are a traditional Northwest Coast food traded widely along the coast.
In the spring, Pacific herring make their way from the ocean to sheltered bays and estuaries to spawn (lay their eggs). This beginning of the harvesting season, or bákvḷá, marks the beginning of a new life cycle, similar to a “new year” for the Haíłzaqv people. Unlike salmon, the adult herring return to the ocean after spawning and can complete this cycle several times.
Large-scale commercial fishing caused herring populations to crash. Under pressure from the Haíłzaqv nation, in 2016 the Canadian government barred commercial herring boats in Spiller Channel and other areas, giving the herring a chance to rebound. Learn more about the harvesting process in the slideshow below.
Carving and Painting
Haíłzaqv people painted and carved unique ceremony and dance regalia, as well as utensils and canoes, as part of their everyday culture. Recognized for their superior quality, many of these items moved throughout the Northwest Coast via direct trade, dowries, potlatching, and warfare.
Before the time of humans, Haíłzaqv history tells of a supernatural eagle with a human face, like the mask above trimmed in bird skin and feathers. Spotting a whale in the ocean, the eagle seized it for a meal. During the struggle, the whale’s intestines spilled into the ocean, becoming Yáláƛi, or Goose Island. The eagle shed its feathers, and decided to live on the island, transforming into a human and taking the name Wígviłba, or Eagle Nose. Haíłzaqv hereditary chief Harvey Humchitt, Sr. carries the name today.
Ǧálúǧṃɫ | Crooked Beak mask Worn on a dancer’s forehead at an upward angle, this ornate mask represents a supernatural bird servant from the Tánís ceremony, or Cannibal Dance. Using its hooked beak to crush skulls, the bird spirit hunts humans to feed to the Cannibal Spirit, Báxvbakvalan̓usiwa.
Yádṇ | Healer’s Rattle Round rattles of this kind were the property of Haíłzaqv traditional healers and used during ceremonies that were hidden from public view. The human face represents the connection to supernatural beings who were linked to the rattle’s ceremonial use.AMNH Anthropology catalog 16/602
The back of the rattle features the carved and painted face and claws of a land otter.AMNH Anthropology catalog 16/602
The Great Canoe
Hewn from a single Western red cedar tree in the 19th century, the iconic 63-foot long Great Canoe is one of the largest dugout canoes in existence. Evidence links this extraordinary canoe to both Haíłzaqv and Haida Nations.
One of the things that is really important for the Haíłzaqv people is the canoe. The ocean was our highway and the ocean provided for us.
—Chief Wígvíɫba Wákas | Harvey Humchitt, Sr.
For more information on the Great Canoe, visit our exhibit page.
