The K’ómoks or K'omoks, usually known in English as the Comox people, are an
indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
group of
Coast Salishan-speaking people in
Comox,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
and in
Toba Inlet
, image = Toba Inlet.jpg
, image_size = 280px
, alt =
, caption = Looking southwest toward the mouth of Toba Inlet
, image_bathymetry = Carte baies Desolation et Bute.svg
, alt_bathymetry ...
and the
Malaspina Peninsula The Malaspina Peninsula is a peninsula in the northern Gulf of Georgia- Sunshine Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It extends northwest from the town of Powell River, which lies near its isthmus, past the settlement of Lund, to Desolation ...
areas of the British Columbia mainland across
Georgia Strait
The Strait of Georgia (french: Détroit de Géorgie) or the Georgia Strait is an arm of the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the extreme southwestern mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada and the extreme northwestern mainland coast ...
. They historically spoke the
Komox language (Comox-Sliammon), and were divided in two main dialect and tribal groupings, which are known by academics as ''Island Comox'' and ''Mainland Comox''.
The Island Comox of
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...
now centered in the area of
Courtenay-
Comox, were historically the greatest and most powerful K’ómoks group; both - K’ómoks together with the neighboring Pentlatch (Puntletch / Puntledge) - were referring in their original language to their cultural collective as Sathloot, known to the Mainland Comox as the θaɬaθtuxʷ. After being conquered and politically dominated by southward moving warring
Laich-kwil-tach (Ligwiłda'xw) (sometimes known as ″Southern Kwakiutl″) they refer today in their adopted
Lik'wala dialect of
Kwak'wala to themselves as ''K’ómoks'' (Kwak'wala-name: ''kw’umuxws'' - ″plentiful″). Today the Island Comox have close political and family ties to the Weiwaikum (Wiwēkam) of the
Campbell River Band located in and around the city of
Campbell River (Wiwek̓a̱m) on the east coast of Vancouver Island, to the Weiwaikai (Wēqay̓i-Wiwēqay̓i) of the
Cape Mudge Indian Band (We Wai Kai Nation) on
Quadra Island
Quadra Island is a large island off the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Discovery Islands, in the Strathcona Regional District.
Etymology
In 1903, the island was named after the Peruvian Spanish n ...
, and to the Walitsima / Walitsum Band of
Salmon River (also called Hahamatses or Salmon River Band), who now occupy territories that were formerly Sathloot (K’ómoks and Pentlatch). Many of these Laich-kwil-tach Bands are of Sathloot descent (sometimes the Walitsima / Walitsum Band are considered ethnically K’ómoks, which only have adopted the culture and language of Laich-kwil-tach). Today the original languages of both Sathloot groups are extinct: the Island Comox dialect or Qʼómox̣ʷs (Salhulhtxw / Saɬuɬtxʷ) and the Puntletch / Puntledge (Pənƛ̕áč) language are dropped in favor for the Lik'wala dialect and later for English.
Those across the strait are known by academics as the Mainland Comox and are formed today of three groups (which were once one tribe sharing neighboring territories and fishing sides together):
* The
Sliammon (Tla'amin or ɬaʔəmen)
* The
Klahoose
The ƛoʔos Klahoose are one of the three groups comprising the ''ʔayʔaǰuθəm'' Tla'Amin or Mainland Comox. The other two divisions of this once-populous group are the χʷɛmaɬku Homalco and Sliammon (which is a corruption of "Tla A'min" ...
(''ƛohos'' means "sculpin fish")
* The
Homalco (Xwemalhkwu or Xoχmaɬku)
Governments
Modern-day K’ómoks are organized in four
band governments (by other listings five):
*
K'ómoks First Nation (Vancouver Island, ethnically mostly K'ómoks but cultural and by language Laich-kwil-tach)
*
Tla A'min Nation
The Tla'amin First Nation (Comox language: ɬəʔamɛn), formerly Sliammon Indian Band or Sliammon First Nation, is a First Nations self governing nation whose lands and traditional territories are located on the upper Sunshine Coast in southwes ...
(Powell River/Malaspina Peninsula)
*
Klahoose First Nation
The ƛoʔos Klahoose are one of the three groups comprising the ''ʔayʔaǰuθəm'' Tla'Amin or Mainland Comox. The other two divisions of this once-populous group are the χʷɛmaɬku Homalco and Sliammon (which is a corruption of "Tla A'min" ...
(Discovery Islands)
*
Homalco First Nation (Toba Inlet)
*
Qualicum First Nation The Qualicum First Nation is a First Nations band government located in Qualicum Bay at the mouth of the Big Qualicum River, near Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
Chief and Councillors
Demographics
The Qualicum Fir ...
(in Qualicum Bay on Vancouver Island, representing people of Pentlatch descent together with some Laich-kwil-tach)
Culture
The K’ómoks First Nation is made up of the Pentlatch, E’iksan and Słułtxʷ tribes. The Pentlatch occupied the valley for thousands of years, leaving behind the Great Midden, buried strata of discarded sea shells, testifying to a love of shellfish that still prevails on the coast. The E'iksan moved south from the Campbell River area between 1830-35. The Sałułtxʷ (K’omoks) moved south from the area of Quadra Island in approximately 1850-55.
The Pentlatch peoples knew the European traders who explored their shores in search of sea otter pelts. Buccaneering Sir Francis Drake likely dropped by on his secret expedition in 1579. The equally intrepid explorer Captain James Cook circumnavigated Vancouver Island in 1778. Both English and Spanish ships explored and exploited the coast thereafter.
Language
Although the language is almost lost, there is a collective of people in the band trying to work on a language program to revitalize it. There are at least three dialects spoken, Coast Salish Pentlatch and ayajusem (Island Comox dialect), and Kwak'wala. Kwak'wala is the most common language used in the region, it was used during the fur-trading era, in ceremonies, between intermarriages, and has evolved into a more complex system over time. Pentlatch has become less common; K'omoks Ancestors are said to have spoken this dialect. Pentlactch is more specific to the Coast Salish Side of K'omoks. The Last Fluent speaker of Pentlatch Passed in 1940. Ayajusem or also known as Island Comox Dialect is spoken in more specific regions such as Sathloot, Sasitla, Leeksun, Xaxe, and Komokwe Peoples. The last fluent speaker died in the 1990s. Both Pentaltch and ayajusem are heavily evolved from Kwak'wala influence, like grammar and certain words.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:K'omoks
Mid Vancouver Island
Sunshine Coast (British Columbia)