Anti-Colonial Science: A Course Journal. Vol. 3, 2025. https://ojs.library.dal.ca/acs/

Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ (Ucluelet)

Jennifer McDonnell

Almost every year of my life since the summer before grade three, I’ve gone on family vacation with my parents and twin sister, driving from Calgary, Alberta, to Vancouver Island. We take the ferry from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo. My favourite places to go while we are there are Ucluelet and the surrounding national park, Pacific Rim. The road to Ucluelet is long, narrow and semi treacherous, as there are lots of twists and turns and only one highway, which can represent the struggles of colonialism, and how this land is part of the unceded territory on Vancouver Island, even though this road was built as a result of colonialism. Taking this class, as a settler, has caused me to be more curious about Ucluelet, and how its history and recent decolonial efforts will shape how communities tackle colonialism, especially in tourism-based towns. The name “Ucluelet” comes from the English way of saying “Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ,” in the Nuu-chah-nulth language from the Yuu-tluth-aht peoples, who have been there for at least 4300 years.¹ It means “People of the Safe Harbour,” and was a place of great abundance for the Yuu-tluth-aht peoples. ² This supports “Hishuk ish is’ awalk,” a Nuu-chah-nulth teaching, translating to “everything is one,” because while the Yuu-tluth-aht lived off the “Land,” they were treated with the abundance of the sea and what the Land could offer them, before their Land was colonized. ^3;4

The use of the word “Land,” with a capitalized L not only ‘rejects land as something to be owned, including all the resources that come with it,’ but also act towards “specificity of place and kinship.” ⁵ Addressing places by using the term “Land” is decolonial, because it recognizes what was not recognized by the Crown when Canada was colonized — that the Indigenous people who have been there for thousands of years have a right to their Land. With Ucluelet’s Land having been colonized, it was also appropriated— “that is, expropriated without permission from the owners,” — when European settlers first came to Ucluelet. ^6;7 Settlers took advantage of the available resources, and developed fishing, logging and forestry industries, which feed the economy, but result from appropriation, because the Land is no longer the “Land,” but instead the “land.” ⁸ Because “the past is not over” there is much to do towards working with the government with the goal of reconciliation, by including decolonial practices into the now tourist town. ⁹ The decolonial practice that I will be focusing on in this reflection is through the use of language and signs, specifically street signs, which are visible to everyone in a community.

There are efforts taking place in Ucluelet to work towards a more inclusive and decolonized town in small steps towards reconciliation attempts. In contemporary times, more settlers are dissatisfied with the lack of reconciliation and collaborate with their politicians to disengage with appropriation “in the theft perspective.” ¹⁰ In July 2022, one action the District of Ucluelet had taken towards this had been to erect bilingual street signs, with English and Nuučaan̓uɫ (Nuu-chah-nulth). ¹¹ This is a major step in “dismantling colonialism,” as it exemplifies “small desire-based work in community,” and how starting with small actions can offer a big reward in terms of decolonizing a community. ^12;13 This “desire based work” was brought to Jeneva Touchie by Bruce Grieg, Ucluelet’s district planner, when he took her language class in 2019, and with the unveiling of these street signs, Jeneva, and many other indigenous people were thrilled with the recognition and familiarity the street signs would bring.¹⁴ In the press release, the Mayor of Ucluelet acknowledges that this project would not have been possible without the “Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ language keepers,” and expresses his gratitude towards them, in addition to naming them, which is just as important as citing a source, which in turn goes with decolonization and reconciliation. ¹⁵ The named Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ people who contributed to this project to help decolonize Ucluelet in addition to the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ government were “Jeneva Touchie, Bob Mundy and Adam Werle.” ¹⁶ Because the Mayor had not cited this work as the municipality’s own, there was no profit or royalties for the BC government made off the work of the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ people in terms of appropriation.¹⁷ This is extremely important because the act of recognition helps the city of Ucluelet and its settlers and habitants to establish a better relationship with the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ people and the land, and to positively contribute to the Land, which is works towards a more decolonial Ucluelet, and invites inclusivity as repairs are made and work is done to do the right thing for the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ people and surrounding tribes. Not only does this benefit the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ people, but it also benefits Ucluelet as a whole, and if said actions from the District of Ucluelet were made aware to surrounding areas, the people of Vancouver Island, whether Indigenous or not, can benefit from these actions and can choose to make similar acts of reconciliation that keep working toward decolonization. Working towards decolonization in small areas can be contagious and encourage other communities to collaborate with the Indigenous peoples who belong to their unceded land that Canada’s cities are established on and can have a positive effect on the Land. One example of a nearby town on Vancouver Island to also do this small act towards decolonization and reconciliation is Port Alberni, which is also part of the drive to Ucluelet, with four bilingual stop signs, which this was completed a year prior to Ucluelet’s efforts.¹⁸ I have not yet been to Ucluelet nor Port Alberni since the changes in street signs have been made, but I look forward to reading and learning common street sign phrases in Nuu-chah-nulth when I return in the spring.

Bibliography

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1. “The History of Ucluelet: People of the Safe Harbour,” Tourism Ucluelet, April 12, 2024, https://www.discoverucluelet.com/history-of-ucluelet/.

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2. “The History of Ucluelet,” Tourism Ucluelet.

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3. . Michelle Murphy, “Some Keywords toward Decolonial Methods: Studying Settler Colonial Histories
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4. “The History of Ucluelet,” Tourism Ucluelet.

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5. Murphy, “Some Keywords toward Decolonial Methods,” 379

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6. Maracle, My Conversations with Canadians, 101.

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7. Maracle, My Conversations with Canadians, 101.

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8. .Murphy, “Some Keywords toward Decolonial Methods,” 379

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9. Murphy, “Some Keywords toward Decolonial Methods,” 383

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10. Maracle, My Conversations with Canadians, 116.

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11. “District of Ucluelet Unveils NEW Bilingual Nuu-Chah-Nulth (Nuučaan̓n̓uɫ)/ English Street Sign.” Ucluelet.ca, July 28, 2022. https://ucluelet.ca/images/2022_07_28-_Nuučaan̓uɫ_Bilingual_Street_Signage_Press_Release.pdf. Pp 1-2.

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12. Murphy, “Some Keywords toward Decolonial Methods,” 381

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13. Murphy, “Some Keywords toward Decolonial Methods,” 382

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14. Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government - Ucluelet First Nation, “It feels like home... it feels like it belongs to us in our traditional territory.” Facebook, July 29, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/UclueletFirstNation/posts/422031553284405?ref=embed_post

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15. “District of Ucluelet” Ucluelet.ca

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16. “District of Ucluelet” Ucluelet.ca

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17. Maracle, My Conversations with Canadians, 119.

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18. Titian, Denise. “Tseshaht First Nation Presents Nuu-Chah-Nulth-Themed Traffic Signs to the City of Port Alberni.” Ha-Shilth-Sa, March 19, 2021. https://hashilthsa.com/news/2021-03-19/tseshaht-first-nation-presents-nuu-chah-nulth-themed-traffic-signs-city-port.

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