Nuwhaha

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The Nuwhaha (dxʷʔaha; “noo-WAH-hah”) were a Lushootseed-speaking Coast Salish people who lived in the Skagit River valley in what is now Washington state. Their villages were mainly along the Samish River and the coast between Bay View and Bellingham, with territory that included Lake Samish and parts of Lake Whatcom. They had two large forts for defense—one at the mouth of the Samish River and another on a high hill at Jarman Prairie.

Historically powerful and warlike, the Nuwhaha suffered devastating population losses from repeated smallpox epidemics in the 18th and 19th centuries. They were also pressured by conflicts with neighboring groups, especially the Samish, which pushed them inland. The first European contact recorded for the Nuwhaha was around 1791 by the expedition of José María Narváez.

In the 19th century, Nuwhaha leaders such as Chadaskadim I and Chadaskadim II conducted warfare across their region, and they faced incursions from the Saanich people. According to tradition, the Nuwhaha attempted to recover the head of Chadaskadim II after it was taken by the Saanich, though the raid was unsuccessful. By the 1830s another powerful epidemic reduced their numbers drastically.

The Nuwhaha signed the Treaty of Point Elliott on January 22, 1855. They were intended to move to the Lummi Reservation, but many did not relocate there. By the late 1860s and 1870s, some Nuwhaha joined the Lummi or the Swinomish and Upper Skagit communities, and around 1890 a portion moved to the Samish settlement on Guemes Island (staying there until about 1905 before largely joining Swinomish).

By 1918, Nuwhaha people living along the Samish River had largely assimilated into the Upper Skagit, while coastal Nuwhaha had assimilated into the Samish. In the 20th century they were involved in legal actions through the Northwest Federation of American Indians and later the Indian Claims Commission. In 1972 a movement eventually helped the Samish gain federal recognition as the Samish Indian Nation. By 1982, about 22% of Samish members were of Nuwhaha descent. There was also a brief effort in 1977 to form a separate Noowhaha Tribe.

Today, Nuwhaha descendants are members of three federally recognized tribes: the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, and the Samish Indian Nation. Some descendants, like George Bob’s family, are enrolled in the Nooksack Indian Tribe. Although there is no separate Nuwhaha tribe today, many descendants still identify with the Nuwhaha heritage. The Nuwhaha spoke Lushootseed and are closely related to other Lushootseed-speaking peoples in the region.