Nuu-chah-nulth
"Noo-CHAA-nulth"
The Nuu-chah-nulth are from the western side of Vancouver Island, comprised of 14 communities with language, family, and cultural affinities, including a traditional practice of whaling. Historical signs in this hall refer to them as “Nootka,” a misnomer used by Captain James Cook after his 1778 visit to the area.
Population: Approximately 9,500 (as of 2014) Language: Nuu-chah-nulth, three dialects
Nuu-Chah-Nulth Language
V. Wells. Audio: ʔiiḥatisatḥ/čiinaxint Tribe. n̓aaskuusaƛ — Fidelia Haiyupis, elder voice.
Ehattesaht_what is your name
Ehattesaht_I love you

T. Penney

T. Penney
From the Collections: Nuu-chah-nulth headdress

Headdress
Nuu-chah-nulth people call this type of headdress a hinkiitsim. It is worn above a dancer’s forehead and appears in pairs—male and female. This one’s pair is in the Anthropology collection upstairs. The right to wear a hinkiitsim in potlatches, or ceremonial feasts, is handed down from generation to generation. This one represents a serpent, possibly a lightning snake, an important supernatural being in the Nuu-chah-nulth tradition.
This headdress is from Clayoquot in Nuu-chah-nulth territory on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
AMNH 16/1900, acquired 1897

Image credit: S. Morrow/Ha-Shilth-Sa

Image credit: Alberni Valley Museum
Nuu-Chah-Nulth-Territory
R. Heinl
T. Penney
H. Alonso/© AMNH
D. Williams
RBCM/BC Archives PN 7226
T. Penney
L. Allen/© AMNH
B6-Paul_quote
Ongoing Traditions
L. Allen/© AMNH
V. Wells
L. Allen/© AMNH
From the Collections: Nuu-chah-nulth fish rattle

Rattle
Doctor Atlieu, a shaman from Clayoquot, Vancouver Island, called this rattle Hemetsee, or gatherer of the fish. Before salmon season, Atlieu would put on a mask of the spirit Entina, then wade into the river up to his neck with the rattle in hand. His singing and shaking would summon Entina to summon the fish. After Atlieu sold this rattle to a collector, he began to regret it—few salmon came that season.
This rattle is from Clayoquot in Nuu-chah-nulth territory on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
AMNH 16/1966, acquired 1897
Image credit: AMNH Library 333573
From the Collections: Nuu-chah-nulth Shell Rattle
AMNH 16/1971, acquired 1897