Ahousaht

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Nootka ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ, from ʕaaḥuus (Ahous, village near Ahous Bay on the western coast of Vargas Island) +‎ -ʔatḥ (people).

Noun

Ahousaht (plural Ahousahts or Ahousaht)

  1. A First Nation group based on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.
    • 2014, Margaret Horsefield, Tofino and Clayoquot Sound : a history[1], Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, page 24:
      Through warfare and amalgamation with other groups, including the Otsosaht, Kelsemaht, and Manhousaht, their traditional territory now encompasses a large area in the heart of Clayoquot Sound covering Vargas and Flores Islands and up Herbert, Shelter, and Sydney Inlets. Early in the nineteenth century, the Ahousahts established their main village, Maaqtusiis (Marktosis), on the east side of Flores Island. Their twenty-four reserves, ranging in size from 2 to 116 hectares, make up a total of 565.6 hectares. The Ahousaht are the largest Nuu-chah-nulth tribe on the west coast, with a current population of some 2,000; approximately 800 live within Ahousaht territory.