Eight reserves on 388 hectares. Since the late 19th century the Namgis First Nation Band has been located at Alert Bay, a fishing settlement on Cormorant Island. The island is in the Johnstone Strait, approximately 410 kilometers north of Vancouver, and just south of Port McNeill.
The band takes its name from the Kwakwala name for a mythical monster that looked like a halibut, was of immense size, and had been known to draw canoes under water. This monster was also believed to cause the powerful tiderip off the mouth of the Nimpkish river. The reserves were allotted by Commissioner O'Reilly in 1884. The band is part of the Kwakiutl linguistic group.