NOOTKAS, or Ames. a family of Indian tribes, in a province of the Dominion of Canada, on Vancouver island; they gave the name to Nootka sound, on the w. side of the island. They occupy a portion of the main-land near the island. The Ahts proper live on the w. side the island, and number 3,500. Those called Nootka by cant. Cook are now said t9 be„the_ There are also ,the Quakewlth, subdivided into many tribes, ona..4 of tbk island; and ako witn-land, which amount to as many more, ant on the c. side of the island the Cowichans number 7,000. The god of the Ahts proper, and the oue whom they worship as their progenitor, is Quawte aht; they also worship the sun and moon,, and a bird, Totooelt, which they believe to be endowed with supernatural powers. The laws governing the tribe are strict and pecul iar, especially in regard to consanguinity. A brave cannot marry in his own elan, and the children are claimed by the mother's clan. One member of a clan cannot invite a member of the same clan to a feast; this rule applying to the male sex only, the squaws not being considered in society. They live in houses. the posts of which are set perma nently at the stations habitually visited. The posts are set in a row for a distance of about 100 ft., and on either side, about 20 ft. from the central row, are two other rows, attached to it by string-pieces. These arc covered with cedar slabs and mats, adjusted
at will. Their canoes are convenient dug-outs, capable of transporting houses and house hold goods. Their chief occupation is fishing—catching salmon, herring, halibut, and occasionally whales. They travel for long distances to go on the hunt in the season, and add to their store by collecting shell-fish, camash roots, and sea-weed. They are ingeni ous in the manufacture of clothing, making capes of white pine bark, hats of cedar and pine bark, and blankets of cypress bark. They make their own dishes and dippers, of wood, and are accomplished in the art of carving. They wear masks on the war-path, which they carve out of wood, and they ornament their door-posts. They place their dead in boxes and hang them up in the trees or lay them on the ground, and cover them with mounds of sticks and stones. They have a bad reputation among the whites, who have greatly increased since the discovery of gold on the main-land, Their allies, the Cowichans, are partially civilized, doing their own farming and working for the whites; missionaries of all faiths have been encouraged to visit them, and have made a study of their language. A vocabulary of the Aht language is contained in Sproat's SCOW and Studies of Savage Life.