Kiix-in, or Kiix?in , earlier romanized as Keeshan, was the principal residence of the Huu-ay-aht (Ohiaht) group of the Nuu-chah-nulth people. The name is onomatopoeic, and comes from the sound of waves crashing against the rocks below the village. It was initially romanised as "Keeshan", but was redesignated "Kiix-in (Former First Nation Village)" in line with the Maa-nulth Treaty. Huu-ay-aht histories identify the village as being occupied "since time began", and an archaeological assessment found that the site had been in use for thousands of years. At some point the Huu-ay-aht were attacked by the

Klallam Klallam (also Clallam, although the spelling with "K" is preferred in all four modern Klallam communities) refers to four related indigenous Native American/First Nations communities from the Pacific Northwest of North America. The Klallam cult ...

, who drove them from the village; it was later reclaimed some point before 1850. An 1874 census found 246 residents. The village was abandoned in the 1880s or 1890s, with the Huu-ay-aht moving to the Deer Group Islands. The village was made a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being ...

in 1999 or 2000, and is noted as containing "the best preserved remains of any Nuu-chah-nulth traditional village". With the permission of the Huu-ay-aht, a team of researchers conducted a pioneering dendroarchaeological survey in 2002 on one of the houses, named ''Quaksweaqwul''. The team used core samples to identify the age of the house, estimating that it was constructed some time after 1835.

References

Nuu-chah-nulth Barkley Sound region Heritage sites in British Columbia First Nations history in British Columbia History of Vancouver Island National Historic Sites in British Columbia {{Canada-hist-stub

See also

References