An Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest coast of British Columbia, known for their rich maritime culture and cedar carving traditions.
From Heiltsuk language, the indigenous name of this First Nations group, meaning 'to speak' or 'language people.' The term reflects self-identification and has been increasingly used since the 1980s alongside the historical exonym 'Bella Bella.'
The Heiltsuk people maintained an unbroken cultural continuity for over 10,000 years in one of the richest salmon-filled regions on Earth, developing sophisticated systems of resource management that modern sustainability experts are now studying.
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