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39-770: The governing council was formed in 1988 through the B.C. Society Act to represent several bands of the Tsimshian people . In 1994 after the British Columbia Treaty Process started the Tsimshian Tribal Council started negotiations for a comprehensive treaty agreement. However, in April 2004 the Council disbanded due to internal conflicts. The split centred on a power struggle over Treaty negotiation that became violent and resulted in

78-674: A language variety similar to Gitxsan and Nisga’a (two inland Tsimshianic languages ), but differentiated from the regional Tsimshian variations. In 2016, only 160 people in Canada were Tsimshian speakers. Some linguists classify Tsimshian languages as a member of the theoretical Penutian language group. Nisga%27a The Nisga’a ( English: / ˈ n ɪ s ɡ ɑː / ; Nisga'a : Nisg̱a’a [nisqaʔa] ), formerly spelled Nishga or Niska , are an Indigenous people in British Columbia , Canada. They reside in

117-624: A series of disasters befell the people, a chief led a migration away from the cursed land to the coast, where they founded Kitkatla Village , the first of three Southern Tsimshian villages. Kitkatla is still considered to be the most conservative of the Tsimshian villages. The Nisga'a and Gitxsan remained in the upper Skeena region (above the canyon) near the Nass River and forks of the Skeena respectively, but other Tsimshian chiefs moved down

156-479: A top knot. During warfare, men wore red cedar armour, a cedar helmet, and cedar loincloths. They wielded spears, clubs, harpoons, bows and slings. Wicker shields were common. Approximately 2,000 people live in the Fudhu Valley. Another 5,000 Nisga’a live elsewhere in Canada, predominantly within the three urban societies noted in the section below. The Nisga’a people number about 7,000. In British Columbia,

195-693: A valley above and east of the Ksi Sii Aks (formerly Tseax River) was the source for an eruption during the 18th century that killed approximately 2,000 Nisga’a people from poisonous volcanic gases . The government bodies of the Nisgaʼa include the Nisgaʼa Lisims government, the government of the Nisgaʼa Nation, and the Nisgaʼa village governments, one for each of the four Nisgaʼa villages. The Nisgaʼa Lisims government ( Nisga'a : Wilp SiʼAyuukhl Nisgaʼa )

234-475: A variety of activities was not uncommon prior to contact, and for some duration after contact into the 1920s. A battle ensued at Dungeness Spit near Port Townsend, WA where some Tsimshian were camped along the shore. One woman survived and was rescued by a lighthouse operator who later married her. The Tsimshian have a matrilineal kinship system, with a societal structure based on a tribe, house group and clan system. Descent and property are transmitted through

273-607: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tsimshian The Tsimshian ( / ˈ s ɪ m ʃ i ən / ; Tsimshian : Ts’msyan or Tsm'syen also once known as the Chemmesyans ) are an Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace and Prince Rupert , and Metlakatla, Alaska on Annette Island ,

312-687: The The Tsimshian wanted to preserve their villages and fishing sites on the Skeena and Nass Rivers as early as 1879. They were not able to begin negotiating a treaty with the Canadian government until July 1983. A decade later, fourteen tribes united to negotiate under the collective name of the Tsimshian Tribal Council . A framework agreement was signed in 1997. Due to litigation by one community for commercial fisheries rights,

351-583: The ANSCA. They do not have an associated Native Corporation, although Tsimshian in Alaska may be shareholders of the Sealaska Corporation . The Annette Islands Reserve was the only location in Alaska allowed to maintain fish traps according to traditional rights. The use of these were otherwise banned when Alaska became a state in 1959. The traps were used to gather fish for food for people living on

390-585: The Gitxsan and Nisga'a as Tsimshian, because of apparent linguistic affinities. The three were all referred to as "Coast Tsimshian", even though some communities were not coastal. These three groups, however, are separate nations. Tsimshian translates to "Inside the Skeena River " At one time the Tsimshian lived on the upper reaches of the Skeena River near present-day Hazelton , British Columbia. According to southern Tsimshian oral history , after

429-550: The Nass River valley of northwestern British Columbia. The origin of the term Niska is uncertain. The spelling Nishga is used by the Nishga Tribal Council, and some scholars claim that the term means 'people of the Nass River'. The name is a reduced form of [naːsqaʔ] , which is a loan word from Tongass Tlingit , where it means 'people of the Nass River'. The official languages of Nisg̱a’a are

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468-523: The Sitka Tribe of Alaska are of Tsimshian heritage. Tsimshian society is matrilineal kinship -based, which means identity, clans and property pass through the maternal line. Their moiety -based societal structure is further divided into sub clans for certain lineages. The Tsimshian language has some 27 different terms for 'chief' likely because it is a stratified and ranked society. Early Euro-Canadian anthropologists and linguists had classified

507-538: The yaawk (feast) for one specific event. Today in Tsimshian culture, the potlatch is held to honour deaths, burials, and succession to name-titles. The Tsimshian have four different types of feasts. The feast system is the agency for social reproduction, expression of law, the transmission of knowledge, and demonstration of the obligations for chiefs to provide stewardship for resources and attending to needs of communities. The planning and delivery of feast events requires very specific protocols, including those required for

546-589: The 'nine tribes.' The Tsimshian are one of the largest First Nations peoples in northwest British Columbia. Some Tsimshian migrated to the Annette Islands in Alaska, and today approximately 1,450 Alaska Tsimshian people are enrolled in the federally recognized Metlakatla Indian Community , sometimes also called the Annette Island Reserve . The Tsimshian honor the traditional Tlingit name of Taquan for this recent location. Some citizens of

585-466: The 19th century, epidemics of infectious disease contracted from Europeans ravaged their communities, as the First Nations had no acquired immunity to these diseases. The 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic killed many of the Tsimshian people. Altogether, one in four Tsimshian died in a series of at least three large-scale outbreaks. In 1835, the total population of the Tsimshian peoples

624-458: The Nisga’a Nation is represented by four villages: Many Nisga’a people have moved to cities for their opportunities. Concentrations are found in three urban areas outside traditional Nisga’a territory: The Nisga’a calendar revolves around harvesting of foods and goods used. The original year followed the various moons throughout the year. On August 4, 1998, a land-claim was settled between

663-524: The Nisga’a, the government of British Columbia , and the Government of Canada . As part of the settlement in the Nass River valley, nearly 2,000 km (770 sq mi) of land was officially recognized as Nisga’a, and a 300,000  dam (240,000 acre⋅ft) water reservation was also created. Bear Glacier Provincial Park was also created as a result of this agreement. The land-claim's settlement

702-540: The Nisg̱a’a language and English. Nisga’a society is organized into four tribes: Each tribe is further sub-divided into house groups – extended families with the same origins. Some houses are grouped together into clans – grouping of houses with same ancestors. Example: The Nisga’a traditionally harvest "beach food" all year round. This might include razor clams , mussels , oysters , limpets , scallops , abalone, fish, seaweed and other seafood that can be harvested from

741-808: The RCMP being called to stop what council members called a, "hostile takeover". A new Council the Tsimshian First Nations was formed in December 2004 without the Gitxaala Nation (formerly Kitkatla) and the Lax Kw'alaams First Nation to represent members in the BC Treaty Process. This Canadian government –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This First Nations in Canada –related article

780-450: The Tsimshian harvested the abundant sea life, especially salmon . The Tsimshian became seafaring people, like the Haida . Salmon continues to be at the center of their nutrition, despite large-scale commercial fishing in the area. Due to this abundant food source, the Tsimshian developed permanent towns. They lived in large longhouses , made from cedar house posts and panels to withstand

819-669: The berries of Vaccinium Vitis-idaea ssp. minus as food. The Tsimshian people of British Columbia encompass fifteen tribes: Some of the Chiefs of these nine tribes happened to be located at Fort Simpson (later Port Simpson, later Lax Kw'alaams , British Columbia)** Giluts'aaw when the Indian Agent assigned reserve communities. Other Chiefs were located at the mission created community of Metlakatla , with some subsequently migrating to Metlakatla, Alaska , newest tribe, with lineages from all Tsimshian tribes. The Tsimshian clans are

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858-560: The community reservation status, which it did in the late 19th century. In 1895, the BC Tsimshian population stood at 3,550, while the Alaska Tsimshian population had dropped to 465 by 1900. Some of the Tsimshian had returned south to their homelands on the Skeena. After this low-water point, the Tsimshian population began to grow again, eventually to reach modern numbers comparable to the 1835 population estimate. However,

897-455: The doors facing the water. The doors are usually decorated with the family crest. Inside, the floor is dug down to hold the hearth and conserve temperature. Beds and boxes of possessions are placed around the walls. Prior to the mid-twentieth century, around three or four extended families might live in one house; this is nowadays an uncommon practice. Masks and blankets might decorate the walls. Prior to European colonization, men wore nothing in

936-639: The federal government forced a confidentiality clause against other communities and caused dissolution of the main treaty group and subsequently the TTC. A subset of the Tsimshian First Nations continues to negotiate with the BC Treaty Commission to reach an Agreement-in-Principle that has alienated most members. The Tsimshian speak a language, called Sm'algyax , which translates as "real or true tongue". The Tsimshian also speak

975-467: The guests. It is untoward to hold out one's hand while payments (also known as 'gifts' by external observers) are being distributed. The Tsimshian have maintained their fishing and hunting lifestyle (although constrained by colonialism and declining fish and animal population abundances), art and culture, and are working to revitalize the common use of their language. Artists have excelled in traditional mediums and contemporary forms with pieces spread around

1014-535: The lower Skeena River when the salmon returned. Archaeological evidence shows 5,000 years of continuous habitation in the Prince Rupert region. Gitxaala might have been the first Tsimshian village contacted by Europeans when Captain Charles Duncan and James Colnett arrived in 1787 although Russian fur traders may have visited northern groups earlier. The confluence of the Skeena and Bulkley Rivers

1053-730: The maternal line. Hereditary chiefs obtain their rights through their maternal line through their mother's brother. Although it is inherited the protege must be trained for proper behavior and groomed well for specific obligations. No lineage should be sullied by inappropriate behaviors of high-ranking members. The marriage ceremony was an extremely formal affair, several prolonged and sequential ceremonies. Arranged marriages and births were common to protect rights of access to territories and resources. Some cultural taboos have related to prohibiting women and men from eating improper foods during and after childbirth. Several taboos still exist and are actively practiced. Like all Northwest Coastal peoples,

1092-470: The meat and fish, roasting or boiling the former. They eat fish and sea mammals in frozen, boiled, dried or roasted form. The heads of a type of cod, often gathered half-eaten by sharks, are boiled into a soup that, according to folklore, helps prevent colds. The Nisga′a also trade dried fish, seal oil, fish oil, blubber and cedar. The traditional houses of the Nisga’a are shaped as large rectangles, made of cedar planks with cedar shake roofs, and oriented with

1131-682: The numbers of the inland Tsimshian peoples are now higher than they were historically, while those of the Southern and Coastal Tsimshian are much lower. In the 1970s, the Metlakatla Indian Community voted to retain their rights to land and water, and opted out of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA); they have the only Native reservation in Alaska. The Metlakatla Tsimshian maintained their reservation status and holdings exclusive of

1170-518: The only reservation in Alaska. The Tsimshian estimate there are 45,000 Tsimshian people and approximately 10,000 members are federally registered in eight First Nations communities (including the Kitselas, Kitsumkalum, Gitxaala, Gitga'at at Hartley Bay , and Kitasoo at Klemtu ) Lax Kw'Alaams, and Metlakatla, BC . The latter two communities resulted in the colonial intersections of early settlers and consist of Tsimshian people belonging to

1209-659: The reservation. Legally the community was required to use the traps at least once every three years or lose the right permanently. They stopped the practice early in the 2000s and lost their right to this traditional way of fishing. The majority of Tsimshian still live in the lower Skeena River watershed near Prince Rupert , as well as northern coastal BC. Some Tsimshian moved south into the Columbia River Basin mid-nineteenth century for picking hops and other agricultural crops. Many Tsimshian have moved into Seattle region from both AK and BC. Long distance canoe travel for

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1248-624: The river and occupied all the lands of the lower Skeena valley. Over time, these groups developed a new dialect of their ancestral language and came to regard themselves as a distinct population, the Tsimshian-proper. They continued to share the rights and customs of those who are known as the Gitxsan, their kin on the upper Skeena. The Tsimshian maintained winter villages in and around the islands of Prince Rupert Harbour and Venn Pass (Metlakatla). They returned to their summer villages along

1287-427: The shore. They also harvest salmon , cod , char , pike , trout and other freshwater fish from the streams, and hunt seals, fish and sea lion . The grease of the oolichan fish ( Thaleichthys pacificus ) is sometimes traded with other tribes, though nowadays this is more usually in a ceremonial context. They hunt mountain goat, marmot , game birds and more in the forests. The family works together to cook and process

1326-488: The summer, normally the best time to hunt and fish. Women wore skirts made of softened cedar bark and went topless. During the colder season, men wore cedar bark skirts (shaped more like a loincloth), a cape of cedar bark, and a basket hat outside in the rain, but wore nothing inside the house. Women wore basket hats and cedar blankets indoors and outdoors. Both sexes made and wore shell and bone necklaces. They rubbed seal blubber into their hair, and men kept their hair long or in

1365-450: The wet climate. These were very large and usually housed an entire extended family. Tsimshian religion centered on the "Lord of Heaven", who aided people in times of need by sending supernatural servants to earth to aid them. The Tsimshian believed that charity and purification of the body (either by cleanliness or fasting ) was the route to the afterlife . The Tsimshian engage in the feast system or potlatch , which they refer to as

1404-410: The world. These artisans practice the tradition of story telling with their chosen mediums. Like other coastal peoples, the Tsimshian fashioned most of their goods out of western red cedar , especially its bark . It could be fashioned into tools, clothing, roofing, armour, building materials, and canoe skins. They used cedar in their Chilkat weaving , which they are credited with inventing. They use

1443-546: Was estimated at 8,500. By 1885, the population had dropped to 4,500, 817 of whom moved to Alaska two years later following Missionary William Duncan. In the 1880s the Anglican missionary William Duncan , along with a group of the Tsimshian, left Metlakatla, British Columbia and requested settlement on Annette Island from the U.S. government . After gaining approval, the group founded New Metlakatla on Annette Island in southern Alaska. Duncan appealed to Congress to grant

1482-459: Was formerly the site of the Tsimshian village of Kitanmaks and became a new European settlement of Skeena Forks (today known as Hazelton). When the Hudson's Bay Company moved their fort to modern-day Port Simpson in 1834, nine Tsimshian tribal chiefs moved to the surrounding area for trade advantage. Many of the Tsimshian peoples in Canada still live in these regions. Throughout the second half of

1521-614: Was the first formal treaty signed by a First Nation in British Columbia since the Douglas Treaties in 1854 ( Vancouver Island ) and Treaty 8 in 1899 (northeastern British Columbia). The land owned collectively is under internal pressures from the Nisga'a people to turn it over into a system of individual ownership. This would have an effect on the rest of Canada in regards to First Nations lands. The Tseax Cone in

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