Nootka << NOOT kuh >> are Native American peoples who live along the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia and at the tip of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Those on Vancouver Island are considered First Nations, a designation for some native peoples of Canada. These Nootka call themselves the Nuu-chah-nulth or West Coast natives. Those living in Washington call themselves the Makah. Today, there are thousands of Nootka. They make their living mainly by fishing and lumbering in their traditional lands or by working in factories and offices in nearby cities. Many still speak dialects of the Nootkan language.
The Nootka were once noted for their skill in hunting whales from graceful dugout canoes. They lived in wooden plank houses on sheltered beaches and coves. Nootka artists carved and painted masks, large puppets, totem poles, and other objects used in religious ceremonies and in feasts called potlatches. The Nootka were first described in detail by the British navigator Captain James Cook in 1778. In the late 1700’s and the 1800’s, they were devastated by diseases introduced by Europeans who settled in North America. These people colonized most of the Nootka land.
