Nuwhaha

The Nuwhaha (noo-WAH-hah; Lushootseed: dxʷʔaha)[1] were a historical Lushootseed-speaking people in the Skagit River valley of Washington.

The Nuwhaha primarily lived along the Samish River, as well as the coastal areas between Bay View and Bellingham.

[5] Descendants of one Nuwhaha man, George Bob, are enrolled in the Nooksack Indian Tribe.

According to Susie Sampson Peter, Skagit storyteller, the Nuwhaha once controlled the area from Samish Island to Whatcom Creek.

[10] The first Europeans to record their encounter the with the Nuwhaha were the crew of José María Narváez and the Santa Saturnina around 1791.

[23] According to Martin Sampson, the Nuwhaha were a large, powerful, and warlike tribe prior to the arrival of Europeans.

At some point, the Saanich invaded the territory of the Nuwhaha, killing Chadaskadim II and taking his head back to what is now Sidney.

In retaliation, the Nuwhaha, led by a man named Sathill, invaded the Saanich at Sidney, in an effort to repatriate the head of Chadaskadim II.

The invasion was not successful, as although they had burned all the houses at Sidney, only a few were killed, they were able to take no slaves, and the head was not returned.

[26] During treaty times, some Nuwhaha were organized around the prophet Stababutkin, alongside the Upper Skagit.

Finkbonner reported the Nuwhaha were "persistently refus[ing]" removal to the Lummi Reservation.

This organization sued for federal recognition in 1972, eventually winning to become the Samish Indian Nation.

[31] In 1977, there was a short-lived attempt by Nuwhaha descendants in reservation communities to form a separate Noowhaha Tribe and seek federal recognition.