Bella Coola
Encyclopedia
Bella Coola may refer to several things, all closely related to a geographic area within British Columbia's Central Coast:
- The NuxalkNuxálk NationThe Nuxalk Nation , also referred to as the Bella Coola or Bellacoola, are an Indigenous First Nation in Canada, living in the area in and around Bella Coola, British Columbia...
, an indigenous people of the area who in the past had been referred to as the Bella Coola - The Nuxalk languageNuxálk languageNuxálk is a Salishan language spoken in the vicinity of the Canadian town Bella Coola, British Columbia by approximately 20-30 elders...
spoken by Nuxalk peoples - Bella Coola, British ColumbiaBella Coola, British ColumbiaBella Coola is a community of approximately 600 at the western extremity of the Bella Coola Valley. Bella Coola usually refers to the entire valley, encompassing the settlements of Bella Coola proper , Lower Bella Coola, Hagensborg, Saloompt, Nusatsum, Firvale and Stuie...
, a community of approximately 600 at the western extremity of the Bella Coola Valley. Bella Coola may also refer to the entire valley, encompassing the settlements of Bella Coola, Four Mile, Lower Bella Coola, Hagensborg, Saloompt, Nusatsum, Firvale and Stuie, and include nearby marine-access settlements such as TallheoTallheo, British ColumbiaTallheo is a First Nations community of the Nuxálk people and former cannery town near Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada, on North Bentinck Arm...
. When referring to this area of geography without a definite article (geographically, "The Bella Coola" would normally imply the river), the entire valley is usually encompassed by the term. When there is a need to specify the community at the mouth of the river, a specifier is usually used, such as "Bella Coola proper", "downtown Bella Coola" or "the Bella Coola townsite". - Bella Coola RiverBella Coola RiverThe Bella Coola River is a major river on the Pacific slope of the Coast Mountains in southern British Columbia. The town of Bella Coola, which is the historic and ancient capital of the Nuxalk people, is at its mouth on North Bentinck Arm...
, formed by the confluence of the Talchako and Atnarko rivers, and flowing westward to its estuary as it enters the Pacific Ocean, spilling into the North Bentinck Arm of Burke Channel