8
Some Nuu-chah-nulth have become well known across
Canada. Shawn Atleo of the Ahousaht First Nation served as
national chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 2009–2014.
T
he Nuu-chah-nulth share many values and teachings. To be
quu
ʔ
as-sa
is to be human. The phrase
quu
ʔ
as-sa
translates to
“the people” or “human beings.” It means having a sense of
self as a part of family and nature. The Nuu-chah-nulth term used
to describe this connection is
hišuk
ʔ
išcawak
. It means “everything
is one.”This includes the 10 relatives. These relatives are the sky,
stars, moon, land, sea, lakes, mountains, rivers, sun, and wind.
Nuu-chah-nulth recognize that one cannot exist without the
others. The old ones, or elders, say that people are all related.
They depend upon one another to live and survive.
To be quu
ʔ
as-sa means to have self-respect and pride. The
old ones say that as quu
ʔ
as-sa, we must be
eesok
(“respect with
caring”) to all our relations. It is important for people to know
VALUES AND
TEACHINGS
Chapter Two
