Heiltsuk

Heiltsuk
Detail of a 19th-century bentwood chest
by Heiltsuk artist Captain Richard Carpenter (Du'klwayella)
Total population
1,874 (1995)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Canada (British Columbia)
Languages
English, Híɫzaqv,[2] Chinook jargon
Religion
traditional tribal religion, potlatch

The Heiltsuk /ˈhltsək/,[3][4] sometimes historically referred to as Bella Bella,[1] or Híɫzaqv are an Indigenous people of the Central Coast region in British Columbia, centred on the island community of Bella Bella. The government of the Heiltsuk people is the Heiltsuk Nation, though the term is also used to describe the community. Its largest community is Bella Bella.

They should not be confused with the Salish-speaking Nuxalk peoples, who were formerly usually called Bella Coola in English.

  1. ^ a b Pritzker 166
  2. ^ "About Us." Heiltsuk Tribal Council. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  3. ^ William C. Sturtevant, 1978. Handbook of North American Indians: Northwest Coast
  4. ^ Richard, Graham. "To Lay a Copper on the Floor". haidanation.ca. Council of the Haida Nation. Retrieved 31 October 2018.