Gitwinksihlkw ( , )
formerly Canyon City, is a
Nisga'a
The Nisga’a , often formerly spelled Nishga and spelled in the Nisga'a language as (pronounced ), are an Indigenous people of Canada in British Columbia. They reside in the Nass River valley of northwestern British Columbia. The name is a ...
Village in the
Nass River
The Nass River is a river in northern British Columbia, Canada. It flows from the Coast Mountains southwest to Nass Bay, a sidewater of Portland Inlet, which connects to the North Pacific Ocean via the Dixon Entrance. Nass Bay joins Portland In ...
valley of northwestern
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, near that river's confluence with the
Tseax River
The Ksi Sii Aks (formerly Tseax River) is a tributary of the Nass River in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is most notable as the namesake of Tseax Cone, a volcano within its basin that was responsible for an eruption in the 17th century ...
. An older spelling is Kitwilluchsilt. It is one of four
Nisga'a villages. Road access is via the
Nisga'a Highway.
Gitwinksihlkw means "people of the lizard's habitat", a reference to the presence of (
salamander
Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...
s) in the area prior to the eruption of
Tseax Cone
The Tseax Cone ( ), also called the Tseax River Cone or the Aiyansh Volcano, is a young and active cinder cone and adjacent lava flows associated with the Nass Ranges and the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province. It is located east of Crater ...
in the 18th century which buried the neighbouring villages of
Wii Lax K'abit and
Lax̱ Ksiluux.
Education
The community is served by
School District 92 Nisga'a
School District 92 Nisga'a is a school district in British Columbia, Canada. Situated in the Nass River valley it covers the First Nations area of the Nisga'a people north of Terrace
Terrace may refer to:
Landforms and construction
* Fluvial t ...
and hosts Gitwinksihlkw Elementary School. The secondary school is in
Gitlax̱t'aamiks.
See also
*
Nisga'a Memorial Lava Beds Provincial Park
References
BCGNIs entry "Gitwinksihlkw"BCGNIS entry "Canyon City"
External links
Nisga'a Lisims - village websiteSchool websiteNisga'a Nation Knowledge Network
Designated places in British Columbia
Nisga'a villages
Nass Country
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