The Klahoose - A First Nation’s Story

The Klahoose First Nation has 553 registered members today, with only about 60 to 75 living permanently in the main settlement of Squirrel Cove on Cortes Island. Most members reside in other parts of British Columbia or across Canada (First Nation Profiles - Government of Canada).

Their traditional territory once covered roughly 430,000 hectares. With colonization, however, this land was drastically reduced: today, the Nation retains only 1,357.6 hectares of reserve land, spread across several smaller sites—less than one percent of their original territory (BC Assembly of First Nations, Klahoose Nation - About).

The language of the Klahoose, ʔayʔaǰuθəm (Ayajuthem), is part of the Salish language family and ranks among the most endangered languages in North America. Today, only a few elders speak it fluently, with estimates ranging from fewer than 12 to about 50 speakers. Even so, active revitalization efforts are underway—language offices, workshops, radio series such as Word of the Day, and a strategic five-year plan dedicated to bringing the language back (Klahoose.org - Language; Huijsmans 2019 - UBC Working Paper; Klahoose Wilderness Resort - Wildlife & Culture).

Inseparably tied to the history of many Indigenous peoples in Canada is the chapter of the Residential Schools. For generations, children were taken from their families, placed in state- and church-run institutions, and often subjected to abuse. Many never returned.

The words Every Child Matters now stand as a reminder of this trauma—and of the children who must never be forgotten (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, The Legacy, Vol. 5, 2015).

The consequences are still felt today: broken family structures, the loss of language and culture, poverty, and alcoholism—scars passed down from one generation to the next (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Calls to Action, 2015).

Although the Klahoose, like many other Indigenous Nations in Canada, carry the weight of this history, their focus today is on passing down knowledge and culture: revitalizing traditions, telling stories, teaching languages. Every Child Matters is therefore not only a reminder of past injustice, but also a call to shape the future with dignity and resilience.

During our stay at the Klahoose Lodge, we spent the evenings with a young community member who generously shared her knowledge and skills. Each night brought something new: one evening she showed us how to braid traditional bracelets, another time she told stories about the land and the ancestors.

What touched me most, however, was a children’s book she had written in the Klahoose language—a powerful symbol of how the younger generation is working to preserve and revitalize cultural knowledge.

At Klahoose Wilderness Resort, part of the guest fees is directed to the Commercial Bear Viewing Association of British Columbia. The association sets mandatory standards for responsible bear viewing, provides training for Indigenous bear guides, and supports the protection of grizzly bears and their habitats. In this way, wildlife encounters on BC’s coast are carried out in a way that respects both the animals and the ecosystems they depend on (CBVA).

The Klahoose are not only guardians of an ancient culture; they are also a people carving new paths between tradition and modern life. They are revitalizing their language, ʔayʔaǰuθəm, joining the Tribal Canoe Journeys, pursuing sustainable tourism and environmental projects, and weaving ecological action together with cultural identity (Klahoose First Nation, Culture & Heritage; Sustainability Initiative). This living bond between heritage and future feels, to me, like a lasting gift.