Protection and these parties appealed to the people the most. Also, since he would get a share of everyone's crops and gatherings, he could live well and have big potlatches (parties). The chief had to provide adequate protection for his people, and if he did not, they could leave him for a better chief.
Although he was powerful, maintaining his high standing was heavily dependent on the support the chief and his family obtained in the community. The house chief, as the central authority figure, had charge of resources within his territory, and was entitled to receive a share of everything harvested in them. Also, there was status within the families. No slave or commoner could ever become a chief.įamilies were grouped and within those families, there was a recognized head of the family. The Chief's younger sons and their families made the middle class and the other families were the commoners. The chief title was hereditary, and only men could be chiefs. The chief was at the top and his oldest son was to inherit everything, including becoming the title. The social organization of the Nuu chah nulth people was based on a stratified local group or lineage. The northern and central Nuu-chah-nulth groups speak dialects of one language, while the southern group (Ditidaht and Makah) speak separate but closely related languages. Nuu-chah-nulth itself is divided into three languages. Wakashan has two main branches, Kwakiutl and Nuu-chah-nulth. The Wakashan language family is one of the six found in British Columbia alone. Wakashan is one of the eleven native language families in Canada. Above the Lightning Snake are two supernatural Codfish, facing each other. Above the entrance, two Thunderbirds face each other, and above each Thunderbird is the figure of a Lightning Snake, the supernatural servant of the Thunderbird. Below its large round doorway are ten round holes, representing ten moons. Although Nuu-Chah-Nulth houses were often set broadside to the beach, this house faced the beach. An example Nuu-Chah-Nulth house belonged to the head chief of the Tsesha'ath people who live near the present-day town of Port Alberni, at the head of Barkley Sound. Nuu-Chah-Nulth houses could be as long as 30 metres and were built with cedar beams and hand-split boards according to the same principles as Coast Salish houses.
When Captain Cook first met these people, he referred to them as the Nootka, a mistaken name that has stuck with them for years.
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