BELLA COOLA

North Pacific Coast Indians whose villages were located in what is now the central British Columbia coast, along the upper Dean and Burke channels and the lower parts of the Bella Coola River valley. They spoke a Salishan language related to that of the Coast Salish (q.v.) to the south. Their ancestors probably separated from the main body of Salish and migrated northward. Although their material culture, ceremonials, and mythology resembled those of their Heiltsuq neighbours (see Kwakiutl), their social organization was similar to that of the more distant Salish. The Bella Coola probably numbered about 5,000 at the time of their first contacts with Europeans but were reduced by disease in the 19th century to less than 1,000, who lived in a single village. In the late 20th century the population was increasing. The Bella Coola lived in permanent villages of large plank-built houses occupied by a number of families. They used wood for houses, canoes, and watertight boxes that served a variety of domestic purposes. Shredded cedar bark provided clothing, baskets were made of cedar and spruce, and alder and cedar were carved into masks and other ceremonial objects, including the spectacular totem poles of the 19th century. Fish was their basic food supply, supplemented by hunting and by collecting berries and roots. Salmon, taken in the summer, were eaten fresh or smoked; oil extracted from eulachon (candlefish) was used as a condiment. Life was essentially on a village basis, with status dependent both on hereditary rank and on wealth, measured by ostentatious giving at potlatches (q.v.). There was no formal tribal cohesion but rather a strong feeling of unity based on common language, common origin, and pride in respect to neighbouring tribes. Secret societies were important, with an unusually well-developed pantheon of deities and great dependence on numerous oral traditions.