Located on Cormorant Island, off the northeastern coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, ‘Yalis is home to U’mista Cultural Centre and Kwakwala-speaking People, who have long understood that life, culture, and environment are bound together by law, relationship, and respect.
U’mista Cultural Centre
At the heart of the community stands the U’mista Cultural Centre, a world-class Indigenous cultural experience on Vancouver Island.
“The ‘vanishing race’ is alive and well,” explains Elizabeth Nelson, a member of the board of directors at the U’mista Cultural Society. “This is not a museum. It is a living place of learning,” she reminds. Inside, language classes, singing and dancing workshops, and regalia-making sessions are vibrant reminders that culture is ongoing.
U’mista is the literal return of something important, treasures seized during the Potlatch Ban whose return restored ancestral law, family histories, and ceremonial practice. The Centre is alive with learning and continues to spark interest in cultural learning for Kwakwaka’wakw youth and community members, as well as guests from around the world.
“We’ve had language classes in here, singing and dancing classes. Now we’re into making regalia, weaving, and beading. It’s a centre for learning, for our own People, for our children, our grandchildren,” shares Elizabeth.
U'mista Cultural Centre U'mista Cultural Centre The “good life” for the Kwakwaka’wakw is not measured by accumulation, but by relationship. It is found not only in food and resources, but also in how they are used and honoured, and in their celebration at potlatch and in daily life.
“Your languages and your songs and dances define who you are as a People. We were described as ‘the vanishing race’… We’ve always been here. We’re always going to be here,” says Elizabeth. Every act of care, harvesting only what is needed, tending clam gardens, or observing wildlife, is part of sustaining this balance.
The Kwakwaka’wakw concept of wealth is built on generosity. Many people believe that a rich person is someone who has much; the Kwakwaka’wakw believe that a rich and powerful person is someone who gives away the most.
Through the potlatch (p̓a̱sa), this principle comes to life. Gifts of blankets, food, dances, and songs are offered to thank ancestral spirits and to celebrate family and community ties.
As Axu, Agnes Alfred, a respected Kwakwaka’wakw noble woman and storyteller, explained, “When one’s heart is glad, he gives away gifts. Our creator gave it to us, to be our way of doing things, to be our way of rejoicing, we who are the Kwakwaka’wakw. Everyone on earth is given something. The potlatch was given to us to be our way of expressing joy.”
SOPHISTICATED STEWARDSHIP
Across the territory, these values are etched into the land and waters.
Ancient shell middens, clam gardens (loxiwe), and culturally modified cedar trees stand as living testimony to sophisticated stewardship.
The Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw carefully managed these resources over millennia, maintaining abundance while honouring the spirits of salmon, shellfish, and trees as relatives, and as powerful beings that long ago existed in both human and spirit worlds.
Today, Indigenous Guardians continue this work, monitoring archaeological and ecological sites, protecting intertidal zones, and ensuring that cultural and environmental laws are respected.
On Cormorant Island, visitors can experience over 30 totem poles across the island, particularly around the waterfront and cultural sites.
At the entrance of the U’mista Cultural Centre stand the striking Guardian Poles Nułamał and Nan, carved by Marcus Alfred alongside youth collaborators Garrett Cranmer, Eddie Walkus, Harry Isaac, Aubrey Johnston Jr., and Alan Hunt.
These figures serve as cultural messengers of Maya’xa̱la—a foundational teaching of respect for oneself, others, and the natural world—echoing their traditional role of maintaining order and proper conduct within the Big House, and continuing to guide all who pass into U’mista today.
KWAKWAKA'WAKW CULTURE:
Maya’xala, or respect, is the guiding principle for anyone in Kwakwaka’wakw Territory.
It is respect for all living beings, human, animal, or plant; for things; and for oneself. Some ways visitors can show maya’xala on the land and water are leaving shell middens, clam gardens, and culturally modified trees undisturbed, observing wildlife from a distance, and following local protocols.
Every inlet, forest trail, and shoreline may hold ancient village sites or sacred spaces; approaching them with humility ensures that both cultural and ecological integrity are maintained.
Walking through ’Yalis, paddling along forested inlets, or observing salmon streams, visitors experience a living culture where wealth is measured in relationships, generosity, and care.
At U’mista, walking past the Big House and totem poles, one understands the continuity of law, ceremony, and identity. As the centre reminds its visitors, “What we’d like our visitors to know is that we are here. We’re alive and well.”
To be in this territory is to see the good life not as what one has, but as what one gives, protects, and passes on—through generosity, stewardship, and the enduring practice of maya’xala.
U'mista Cultural Centre U'mista Cultural Centre Alert Bay terminal is located on Cormorant Island, a short (40-50 minutes) ferry ride from Port McNeil on the north coast of Vancouver Island. This is a non-bookable route; fares are paid at the terminal upon departure. Alert Bay is small, and U’mista Cultural Centre is just a three-minute walk from the ferry terminal.
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