Nootka

The Nootka people are Native Americans whose historical original home was in the Pacific Northwest, especially Vancouver Island. They are related to the Chinook and Kwakiutl peoples, and the Nootka language is part of the Wakashan group of languages.

The Nootka, and other Pacific Northwest cultures, were famous for their potlatch ceremonies, in which the host would bestow very generous gifts on guests.

At the time of early contact with European explorers, from 1800 to 1830, more than 90 percent of the Nootka were killed by sexually transmitted diseases, by malaria and smallpox, and by cultural turmoil resulting from contact with Westerners.