Opitsaht

History

The settlement of Opitsaht was a great resource point during the Maritime Fur Trade, a ship based trading system during the popularity of sea otter fur and other marine life usually located around the Pacific Northwest Coast of Alaska. At the same time, Opitsaht was the home to Tla-o-qui-aht chief, Wickaninnish, who was present during the initial European contact in the 1780s. The original village of Opitsaht was destroyed by the American Captain Robert Gray, after tensions arose between the Tla-o-qui-aht people and the European settlers who had made contact. In 1792, the village was destroyed, including 200 (unoccupied) longhouses that were home to 50-100 people each. The settlers of Opitsaht would soon have to turn to assimilation, with the increased amount of European immigrants spreading throughout the 19th century. Tla-o-qui-aht people were forced onto reservations and residential schools, all various methods to control the Native way of life under The Indian Act. Over time, the Nuu-chah-nulth culture faded, but the Tla-o-qui-aht people, along with the other Nuu-chah-nulth tribes, are continuing to preserve the culture and language of their people. Environmental tensions arose in the Meares Islands area after British Columbia's government wanted to cut down the old forests in Clayoquot South. The plans started in 1984, but the Tla-o-qui-aht people were ready to defend their tribal land. These old forests were considered tribal ground and ancient woodlands, sparking a resistance and large-scale protest of the area, known as the "War in the Woods". In 2000, the UNESCO declared Clayoquot Sound as a Biosphere reserve, in turn protecting it from industrialization. Opitsaht and the Meares Islands are currently in the Vancouver Islands, British Columbia, and the…