A is for Aboriginals the First Nations of our lands The Ashcroft Ahousaht and Alexis Creek are just a few of the many
many bands It is fitting that the first residents of British Columbia the aboriginal peo ples who lived here for thousands of years before the European settlers came to the area about 200 years ago are the first topic of this book In 1778 two ships were discovered floundering in the fog off the coast of Vancouver Island and escorted to the safety of Yuquot Nootka Sound by First Nation guides The captain of the ships James Cook and Chief Maquinna made the first contact between the British and aboriginal people in this area At that time almost half of all the First Nations People in Canada lived in British Columbia and their language and culture were some of the most sophisticated in the world Although the population rapidly declined due to infection from new diseases brought over by the Europeans there are cur rently about 200 distinct aboriginal bands in our province the most in Canada The First Nations are a sig nificant part of life in British Columbia contributing immensely to the art forms identity communities and
