As a bonus, our entire hiking day would be on the beach! Relieved to wake up to overcast but dry weather, we walked away from Calvin Falls with our spirits fairly high. The Nootka Lighthouse on San Rafael Island was built in 1958. Yuquot was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1923. The Mowachaht-Muchalat First Nation welcome visitors to Yuquot and plan to develop more tourist facilities. As of 2023, debit/credit is accepted as well as cash. Look for the two story house across the field to the left on arrival in Yuquot and ask for Sugar. Unfortunately, Ray passed away on 31st October 2022.įor the last two summer hiking seasons, an on-demand BBQ takeout was operated in Yuquot by Sugar Williams, offering burgers, hot dogs, fried fish, smokies, chips and more. In 1965, the federal government moved many members to a reserve in Gold River.Īt the time of our visit in September 2021, just two people lived in Yuquot full time – Ray and Darryll Williams. Up until the 1960s, there was still a strong Mowachaht-Muchalat community living in Yuquot. More than 90% of the Nuu-chah-nulth died of infectious diseases in the years following European contact. Spain also rescinded colonial expansion in the Pacific North West.Īs part of the process, appointed commissioners George Vancouver from Britain and Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra from Spain travelled and stayed in Yuquot under the hospitality of ta’yii ha’wilth Maquinna. Intense negotiations (and a refusal from France to assist Spain) resulted in the signing of the Nootka Conventions in the 1790s.īoth Britain and Spain agreed to mutually abandon plans for permanent settlements in Nootka Sound. This led Britain and Spain to the brink of war. Not long after the building of Santa Cruz de Nuca, the Spanish seized three British trading ships and sparked the Nootka Crisis. Welcome/Watchman figure in Yuquot, at the end of the Nootka Trail The Nootka Crisis It was the only Spanish settlement ever established in Canada. In 1789, the Spanish established a fort and settlement called S anta Cruz de Nuca in agreement with ta’yii ha’wilth (Chief) Maquinna. Protected by a group of small islands, Yuquot provided an excellent safe habour for ships.Īs Yuquot grew into an important trade centre (particularly for sea otter pelts), as did the colonial interests of the British and Spanish. Over the next few years, Yuquot became known as Friendly Cove by European traders and explorers. Interpreting the word ‘ nuutkaa‘ as a reference to the area, Cook renamed the inlet Nootka Sound and its inhabitants as the Nootka people. The Yuquot villagers instructed Cook to nuutkaa (‘go around’) with his ship into the harbour. In 1778, Captain James Cook became the first European to land on shore. In 1774, Spanish explorer Juan José Pérez Hernández arrived off the shore of Yuquot and called it ‘Santa Cruz.’ The surrounding area was quickly claimed by the Spanish. Yuquot from the air The arrival of the British and Spanish The village sits on a peninsula, between two beaches.Ĭonsidered the capital for the Nuu-chah-nulth nations, Yuquot was also the place where whaling, an intregral part of Nuu-chah-nulth culture, originated and developed. Yuquot means ‘where the wind blows from all directions’ in the Mowachaht/Muchalat language. They consider it to be the ‘center of the world.’ The village of Yuquot is located on the southeastern tip of Nootka Island and is the ancestral home of the Mowachaht-Muchalat First Nation. Nuu-chah-nulth means ‘all along the mountains and sea’ and includes members of fifteen nations along this coastline. The passage of water between Vancouver Island and Nootka Island is called Mowichat by the Nuu-chah-nulth people, who have lived in this area for thousands of years. Exploring the site of the abandoned Mowachaht fishing village of Aass, at Bajo Point Land of the Nuu-chah-nulth people
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |