Gitsegukla (also Kitsegeucla or Skeena Crossing) is a
Gitxsan
Gitxsan (also spelled Gitksan) are an Indigenous people in Canada whose home territory comprises most of the area known as the Skeena Country in English (: means "people of" and : means "the River of Mist"). Gitksan territory encompasses approxi ...
community of about 500 at the confluence of the
Kitseguecla and
Skeena River
The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (after the Fraser River). Since ancient times, the Skeena has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose n ...
s, approximately 40 km southwest of
Hazelton,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, Canada. The community is on Gitsegukla Indian Reserve No. 1.
History
The original village was located below the present day graveyard near the Skeena River. The village was destroyed in 1872 when a party of miners on their way to Omineca failed to extinguish their camp fire. The result was a significant confrontation that was only resolved when the Lieutant-Governor travelled on war-ship, HMS Scout, to meet the Gitsegukla chiefs at Metlakatla. They received compensation for their losses. Subsequently the community relocated slightly upriver. Following the building of a church, the village divided along religious lines.
Methodists moved to the upriver community of
Carnaby, and followers of the
Salvation Army to
Andimaul, although most later returned to Gitsegukla in the decades that followed.
[Gitsegukla Band (1979). ''Adawkhl Gitsegukla'' Supervisor Charlotte Sampare]
Gitsegukla has been impacted by flooding of the Skeena River. In 1914, a large flood washed away many of the houses of the second village. And in 1936, another flood washed away the entire second village, and many totem poles, leading to the building of the current site higher above the riverbank.
In the
Gitxsan language
The Gitxsan language , or ''Gitxsanimaax'' (also rendered ''Gitksan, Giatikshan, Gityskyan, Giklsan and Sim Algyax''), is an endangered Tsimshianic languages, Tsimshianic language of northwestern British Columbia, closely related to the neighbori ...
, Gitsegukla roughly translates to "people living under the precipice" or more specifically under the "Segukla" or "sharp-pointed" mountain.
["Gitsegukla. ''Encyclopedia of British Columbia'' (2000). Harbour Publishing.]
References
External links
Gitsegukla Homepage
Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia
Gitxsan
Skeena Country
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