G̱ut̕sala / G̱uc̓ala / Quatsino Sound dialect (Bands of Quatsino Sound, today by the Gwa'sala people from Smiths Inlet and the 'Nakwaxda'xw people from Blunden Harbour)
Kwak̕wala / Kwaḵ̓wala dialect (Bands of Gilford Island, Knight Inlet, Kwakiutl, Nimpkish, Alert Bay, Kincome Inlet)
'Nak̕wala / Bak̓wa̱mk̓ala dialect (also known as Northern Kwak̓wala dialect, spoken by the Northern Bands or 'Nak̕waxda'x̱w and Gwa'sa̱la peoples)
Gwa’cala subdialect
‘Na‘kwala subdialect
T̕łat̕łasik̕wala / Nahwitti dialect (Bands of today's T̕łat̕łasiḵ̕wala people onHope Island)
Heiltsuk-Oowekyala (also known as Bella Bella) – about 200 speakers (2005)
Heiltsuk dialect (also known as Bella Bella and Haihais, Haiɫzaqvla, Haíɫzaqv/Híɫzaqvḷa, with two subdialects, spoken by theHeiltsuk people, once incorrectly known as the Northern Kwakiutl)
Haíɫzaqv/Híɫzaqvḷa or Bella Bella (Wágḷísḷa) subdialect (spoken by the Heiltsuk (Haíɫzaqv / Híɫzaqv) in Bella Bella)
X̌íx̌íc̓ala/Haihais or Klemtu (Ɫṃ́du̓ax̌sṃ) subdialect (spoken by the X̌íx̌ís (Xixis / Xai’xais / Haihais) in Klemtu)
Oowekyala dialect or ’Wuik̓ala dialect (also known as 'Uik'ala, Ooweekeeno, Wuikala, Wuikenukv, Oweekeno, Wikeno, Owikeno, Oweekano, Awikenox, Oowek'yala, Oweek'ala) (spoken by theWuikinuxv (Oowekeeno or Rivers Inlet) People, once incorrectly known as the Northern Kwakiutl)
Southern Wakashan (Nootkan) languages
Nuu-chah-nulth (also known as Nuučaan̓uł, Nootka, Nutka, Aht, West Coast, T'aat'aaqsapa, spoken by theNuu-chah-nulth, 12 different dialects) – 510 speakers (2005)[2]
Ditidaqiic̓aq Cicqiʔ or DiiɁdiitidq/Diidiitidq dialect (spoken by theDitidaht (Diitiid7aa7tx / Diitiidʔaaʔtx̣) - "People of Diitiidaʔ" or "People along the Diitiidaʔ, i.e. Jordan River")
†Makah (also known as Qʷi·qʷi·diččaq, Q'widishch'a:'tx, spoken by theMakah together with the now extinct Ozette people) – Last fluent speaker, where it was their first language, died in 2002
'Osi:l-'a:'tx/ʔuseeʔłaʔtx̣ or Ozette village dialect (once spoken by the Ozette people (Osi:l-'a:'tx/ʔuseeʔłaʔtx̣ - "People of ʔuseeʔł, i.e.Ozette Village")
In the 1960s, Swadesh also suggested a connection of the Wakashan languages with theEskimo–Aleut languages. This was picked up and expanded by Holst (2005).[9]
Sergei Nikolaev has argued in two papers for a systematic relationship between theNivkh language of Sakhalin island and the Amur river basin and theAlgic languages, and a secondary relationship between these two together and the Wakashan languages.[10][11]
The name Wakesh or Waukash originates from theNuu-chah-nulth word for 'good'. It was used by early explorers including CaptainJames Cook, who thought it to be the tribal appellation.[12]
Juan de Fuca was probably the first European to meet Wakashan-speaking peoples, andJuan Perez visited theNuu-chah-nulth people in 1774. After 1786, English mariners frequently sailed toNootka Sound; in 1803, the crew of theAmerican shipBoston were almost all killed by the local natives.
In 1843 the Hudson's Bay Company established a trading post at Victoria. European-Canadians had regular contact with the First Nations after that time. There were dramatic population losses in the early 20th century due tosmallpox epidemics (because the First Nations had no acquired immunity to the new disease), social disruption, and alcoholism. In 1903 the Aboriginals numbered about 5200, of whom 2600 were in the West Coast Agency, 1300 in the Kwawkewlth Agency, 900 in the North West Coast Agency, and 410 at Neah Bay Company,Cape Flattery. In 1909 they numbered 4584, including 2070Kwakiutl and 2494Nootka.Roman Catholic missionaries were active in the region.[13]
^the Ts'uubaa-asatx - usually known as "Lake Cowichan" and called by the Ditidaht c̓uubaʕsaʔtx̣ - are therefore often confused with the neighboringCowichan Tribes (Quw'utsun Mustimuhw / Quw'utsun Hwulmuhw) - "People of the Warm Land", who speak a "Hul'qumi'num (Island)" dialect ofHalkomelem (part of theCoast Salish languages), but regarding treaty negotiations with the government, the Ts'uubaa-asatx are still part of the "Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group". Currently, they are trying to revive their original culture and language with the support of the Nuu-chah-nulth and Ditidaht peoples.
^Campbell, Lyle (1997).American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. Oxford University Press.
^Mithun, Marianne (1999).The languages of Native North America. Cambridge University Press.
^Beck, David (2000). "Grammatical Convergence and the Genesis of Diversity in the Northwest Coast Sprachbund".Anthropological Linguistics.42 (2):147–213.JSTOR30028547.
^Jan Henrik Holst,Einführung in die eskimo-aleutischen Sprachen. Buske Verlag
Liedtke, Stefan.Wakashan, Salishan, Penutian and Wider Connections Cognate Sets. Linguistic data on diskette series, no. 09. München: Lincom Europa, 1995.ISBN3-929075-24-5
William H. Jacobsen Jr. (1979): "Wakashan Comparative Studies" inThe languages of native America: Historical and comparative assessment, Campbell, Lyle; &Mithun, Marianne (Eds.), Austin: University of Texas Press.
