Kwiakah First Nation
Encyclopedia
The Kwiakah First Nation, also known as the Kwiakah Band or Kwiakah Nation, is the band government of the Kwiakah people, a subgroup of the Laich-kwil-tach
Laich-kwil-tach
Laich-kwil-tach is the proper spelling in the Kwak'wala language of the name used for themselves by the "Southern Kwakiutl" people of Quadra Island and Campbell River in British Columbia, Canada...

 (Euclataws or Southern Kwakiutl) group of the Kwakwaka'wakw
Kwakwaka'wakw
The Kwakwaka'wakw are an Indigenous group of First Nations peoples, numbering about 5,500, who live in British Columbia on northern Vancouver Island and the adjoining mainland and islands.Kwakwaka'wakw translates as "Those who speak Kwak'wala", describing the collective nations within the area that...

 peoples. Their mailing address is in Campbell River, British Columbia
Campbell River, British Columbia
Campbell River is a coastal city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the important coastal Inside Passage shipping route...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, where most their 19 band members live, although their traditional territory is in the Discovery Islands
Discovery Islands
The Discovery Islands are the islands in the Discovery Passage between Vancouver Island and the mainland in British Columbia. These islands are sometimes considered to be part of the Northern Gulf Islands....

 to the north of that city and their two Indian Reserves are located on the mainland coast adjacent to that archipelago. The band is making an effort to "go back to the land" and re-occupy their traditional sites.

Language

The traditional language of the Kwiakah people is Lekwala, the southern dialect of Kwak'wala
Kwak'wala
Kwak'wala is the Indigenous language spoken by the Kwakwaka'wakw. It belongs to the Wakashan language family. There are about 250 Kwak'wala speakers today, which amounts to 5% of the Kwakwaka'wakw population...

, a Northern Wakashan language
Wakashan languages
Wakashan is a family of languages spoken in British Columbia around and on Vancouver Island, and in the northwestern corner of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state, on the south side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca....

.

Indian Reserves

Indian Reserves under the administration of the Kwiakah Band are:
  • Matsayno Indian Reserve No. 5, 48 ha., on the east shore of Phillips Arm, which is to the north of East Thurlow Island
    East Thurlow Island
    East Thurlow Island is an island in British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Discovery Islands, an archipelago between Vancouver Island and the mainland, whose waters connect the Strait of Georgia with Johnstone Strait and Queen Charlotte Strait...

    .
  • Saaiyouck Indian Reserve No. 6, 20.8 ha. on the mainland coast to the northwest of Stuart Island
    Stuart Island (British Columbia)
    Stuart Island is one of the Discovery Islands of British Columbia, which lie between northern Vancouver Island and the British Columbia Coast. It is privately owned and has no ferry access. It is at the mouth of Bute Inlet to the east of the larger Sonora Island...

    , two miles west of the Arran Rapids.

BC Treaty Process

In the British Columbia Treaty Process
British Columbia Treaty Process
The British Columbia Treaty Process is a land claims negotiation process started in 1993 to resolve outstanding issues - including claims to un-extinguished aboriginal rights - with British Columbia's First Nations....

 They are part of the Hamatla Treaty Society
Hamatla Treaty Society
The Hamatla Treaty Society handles Treaty negotiations in the BC Treaty Process for a number of First Nations located in the northern Strait of Georgia of British Columbia.-Membership:*Campbell River Indian Band...

. There are in Stage 4 of the BC Treaty Process.

With the Cape Mudge First Nation and the Campbell River First Nation, they also form the Laich-kwil-tach Council of Chiefs or Laich-kwil-tach Treaty Society.
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