Ditidaht First Nation

The Ditidaht (formerly also Nitinat ) are Canadian Indians and among the Nuu- chah- nulth, one of Iceland on Vancouver resident on the Pacific Coast Indian tribes or First Nations. They belong to the southern group. They speak the southern Wakashan which is quite close to the language of the Makah ( in Washington).

Your residential area located at the north end of the Nitinat Lake, approximately 50 km south of Port Alberni. In April 2010 725 people were expected to Ditidaht.

Today's Ditidaht Nation is an alliance of at least ten local groups (local groups), each of which claimed a certain area and flocking to a chief ( chaabat ') and his family. Each of these groups named accordingly after a locality or a chief.

History

According to the oral tradition dates back to the original people of the Ditidaht ( da7uu7aa7tx ) from Nitinat Lake, but this was before the " Great Flood ". This da7uu7aa7tx - nation allied himself with the diitiid7aa7tx later, the people who came from Tatoosh on the Juan De Fuca Iceland Strait and settled in the Jordan River ( diitiida ). The Ditidaht (Anglicized ) So are the people from Diitiida, the Jordan River. They are also sometimes referred to as Nitinaht, because in the more northern Nuu- chah- nulth dialects from the "D" to "N". Maybe some of the immigrants were from the south side of the waterway survivors of the disaster that destroyed around 1700 Ozette and the Nuu -chah- nulth southernmost strain extinguished it.

Early Figures ( 1849 ) vary between a few hundred and a thousand people. 1881 states that at four locations around 280 " Nitinat " lived. 1889 was estimated still 220, 1914 only 155 Today their number is estimated at 350, of which 120 live in Mala Reserve Chan Indian. According to the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development 718 people were recognized as members of the tribe, of which 172 lived on the reserve, 60 in other reserves, the other outside.

The oral tradition knows border disputes with neighboring tribes that led to wars and war alliances sometimes. Since the underlying strains often decimated and the prisoners were taken away as slaves, there was Amalgationen over again, so that the tribal boundaries are not always clear today. Dr. Robert Brown toured the region in 1864 and noticed for the field of Ditidaht: "You have - or had - many villages of Pachena Bay towards the west and Karleit (east of Bonilla Point) to the east, next to three villages in the Nettinaht Inlet, eleven fish locations on Nettinaht River, three sites at the Cowichan Lake and one at Squitz ( Skutz cases) on Cowitchan River itself "

The strain might not be regarded as a unit prior to 1800, was composed of about ten residential building groups, each as named themselves " The People of the ... " according to their village name. Meanwhile, around 250 local and place-names could be identified.

W. C. Grant settled on behalf of James Douglas in 1849 with Sooke on. He first heard of the " Patchana " (probably Pacheedaht ) and " Nittinat " should be where the latter have been numerous.

Governor James Douglas was one in 1853 at the " Netenet " to Port San Juan 250 " men with beard", 258 women, 29 boys and 2 girls, a total of 539 - although the low number of girls might give an indication of under-declaration. This is indicated by a letter of the two dealer Peter Francis and WE Banfield (according to him Bamfield was named ) in 1855 out of 800 who report " Nettinets ". However, the end of the 1850s he was more out of 600, while Robert Brown reported from over a thousand.

Harry Guillod, Indian Agent counted 1881 " 90 Nitinat men" of a total population of only 280, which refer to four " rancheries between Cape Beale and Pacheena " (Port San Juan ) distributed. In 1883 there were 271, in 1889 only 220 in 1914, there were even only 155 and 40 families. The first strong decimation can probably by the smallpox epidemic of 1862 explain the second is probably partially to the hostile Indian policy in British Columbia back.

It was not until 1890 took the Joint Indian Reserve Commission contact them and acted out of 17 reserves, although the villages included ( as Mala Chan and Waayaa ), but also sites for canoe building or fishing, were usually not inhabited, or even a cemetery. Waayaa (also called Whyac ) was also abandoned in the 1960s. In the 19th century it was surrounded by a strong fence, which should prevent nocturnal attacks. Clo - oose ( tluu7uus ), which became known as the diggings, is inhabited only in summer since the 60s.

Some places were seen as places of special ceremonies, such as the tluukwaali, which are known as " Blackface Society " or wolf dance. They danced usually in ilhuu ( Il- clo Indian Reserve No.. 12 ) on the west side of the Nitinat Lake.

The Ditidaht have been developed and in 1978 joined the Nuu- chah- nulth advice, but do not negotiate jointly with the Canadian government. Instead, they have occurred in December 1993, in separate negotiations, which in 1997 the neighboring Pacheedaht have joined. Currently, deal negotiations with parks and protected areas, wildlife, migratory birds and fish.

With the establishment of the Pacific Rim National Park in 2001, the number of tourists has grown by leaps and bounds. The neighboring tribes have taken on the task together with the park authority to entertain the West Coast Trail, one of the three sections of the park. For this purpose they founded the Quu'as Partnership, a corporate joint venture of Ditidaht, Pacheedaht Huu -ay -aht and with Parks Canada. In addition, the Ditidaht maintain our own Ditidaht First Nation Nitinat Lake Visitor Centre.

In January 2003, signed Ditidaht and Pacheedaht a commercial license for ten years more than 300,000 cubic meters of wood, next month, they received 250,000 CAD for a forest economic training program. In February 2005, signed the Ditidaht that they want to sell more 173,500 cubic meters over 5 years to 1.6 million CAD.

In 2006 there were only eight spokesman for the Ditidaht or Nitidaht. As of 2003, the Council decided Ditidaht for $ 4.2 million to build a school to teach students in their own language. 2005, the first student left with a high school diploma school. Professor Michael Fortescue now developed a 500 -page dictionary - because the language was spoken before 2002 only, one developed an alphabet with 53 characters.

In April 2010 725 people were expected to Ditidaht, of which 183 lived in the reserves in the Barclay District and around Renfrew, 490 outside the reserves, the remaining 62 were scattered to other reserves. In June 2007 there were still 690 The main reserve is the Mala Chan Indian Reserve # 11 on the eastern edge of Lake Nitinaht. The 17 reserves include 725.3 ha

Even if the Ditidaht are proud of their linguistic peculiarity and very aware of them apart from the "West Coast ", go to the language of the middle and northern Nuu- chah- nulth groups, and also politically own way, so they share many cultural elements. So here, have a right to certain families untouchable places ( tupaat ). Tupaat is an inherited privilege or privilege that often refers to ceremonial privileges. So Tupaat may exist today in certain songs, dances, games, family stories, but also certain musical instruments, devices or objects that play a role in celebrations.