The Wuikinuxv Nation, also known as the Oweekeno Nation, is a

First Nation Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

band government In Canada, an Indian band or band (french: bande indienne, link=no), sometimes referred to as a First Nation band (french: bande de la Première Nation, link=no) or simply a First Nation, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subjec ...

whose traditional territory is the shores of

Rivers Inlet Rivers Inlet is a fjord in the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, its entrance off Fitz Hugh Sound, about southwest of the community of Bella Coola and about north of the northern tip of Vancouver Island and the ...

and

Owikeno Lake Owikeno Lake, also Owekeeno Lake, Owekano Lake, Oweekayno Lake and other spellings (pron. "o we KEE no"), is a large fjord lake in the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It connects to the head of Rivers Inlet by the short Wannock ...

in the Central Coast region of the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

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, ...

, in the area south of Bella Bella and north of

Queen Charlotte Strait , image = Canadian pilot, near Port Hardy BC.jpg , alt = , caption = A pilot boat plies Queen Charlotte Strait near Port Hardy , image_bathymetry = Locmap-QCS-Hecate-Dixon.png , alt_bathymetry = ...

. The Wuikinuxv people a.k.a. the Oweekeno people reside in the area of

and

, primarily at a village on the

Wannock River The Wannock River is a short river in the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada, draining Owikeno Lake and entering Rivers Inlet at the head of that inlet, adjacent to the town of the same name, which is the main modern settlement of t ...

. Substantial numbers of Wuikinuxv also reside away from the traditional territory in

Port Hardy Port Hardy is a district municipality in British Columbia, Canada located on the north-east end of Vancouver Island. Port Hardy has a population of 4,132 as of the last census (2016). It is the gateway to Cape Scott Provincial Park, the North Co ...

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

and in larger BC communities such as Campbell River, Vancouver and Victoria. Approximately 80 people reside at the village ( Katit Indian Reserve No. 1) while overall membership was 283 in 2006, 194 of whom lived off-reserve. The First Nation has an elected Chief and Council responsible for modern economic and administrative areas and also continues to respect a more deeply rooted hereditary system. It is a member of the

Wuikinuxv-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council The Wuikinuxv-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council, formerly the Oweekeno-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council, is a First Nations tribal council comprising band governments of three indigenous peoples of the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. T ...

Language

The Wuikinuxv speak the

Oowekyala language Oowekyala , also ''Ooweekeeno'' and ''’Wuik̓ala'' in the language itself, is a dialect (or a sublanguage) of Heiltsuk-Oowekyala, a Northern Wakashan language spoken around Rivers Inlet and Owikeno Lake in the Central Coast region of the Cana ...

, a Northern Wakashan language which is a dialect of a language known as Heiltsuk-Oowekyala, the other main dialect of which is

Heiltsuk The Heiltsuk or Haíɫzaqv , sometimes historically referred to as ''Bella Bella'', are an Indigenous people of the Central Coast region in British Columbia, centred on the island community of Bella Bella. The government of the Heiltsuk people ...

. Their language, which in their own official usage is spelled "Wuikyala," and the people were incorrectly known in the past as "Northern Kwakiutl", as were the

Haisla Haisla may refer to: * Haisla people, an indigenous people living in Kitamaat, British Columbia, Canada. * Haisla language, their northern Wakashan language. * Haisla Nation The Haisla Nation is the Indian Act-mandated band government which nominall ...

Indian reserves

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." Ind ...

s under the administration of the Wuikinuxv Nation are: *Katit Indian Reserve No. 1, on the banks of the

at outflow of

, at

, 658 ha. *Kiltala Indian Reserve No. 2, at the mouth of the

Kilbella River The Kilbella River is a river in the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada, flowing into Kilbella Bay, which is an arm of Rivers Inlet. The Chuckwalla River also flows into Kilbella Bay via the same valley. The Kilbella River is consid ...

Kilbella Bay Kilbella Bay is a bay on the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada, off the north side of Rivers Inlet to the northeast of McAllister Point. A steamer landing formerly operated by the Northland Navigation Company was located on the east side ...

, a part of

near its head, 50 ha.BC Names/GeoBC entry "Kiltala 2 (Indian reserve)"
/ref> * Cockmi Indian Reserve No. 3, on the west tip of

Walbran Island Walbran Island is an island in the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the northwest side of Rivers Inlet near its mouth into Fitz Hugh Sound. History It is named after John Thomas Walbran John Thomas Walbran (18 ...

near Darby Channel, 4.80 ha.

References

BC Treaty.net information pageFirst Nation Detail, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
{{reflist First Nations governments in British Columbia Wuikinuxv Central Coast of British Columbia