Kitselas
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Kitselas
OR:
Kitselas on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

{{about, the people, the location, Kitselas, British Columbia, their band government, Kitselas First Nation Kitselas, Kitsalas or Gits'ilaasü are one of the 14
tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...
s of the
Tsimshian The Tsimshian (; tsi, Ts’msyan or Tsm'syen) are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace, British Columbia, Terr ...
nation of
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, ...
, in northwestern
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. The original name ''Gits'ilaasü'' means "people of the canyon." The tribe is situated at
Kitselas, British Columbia Kitselas, also Kitsalas, is an unincorporated settlement, otherwise known as Kitselas Indian Reserve No. 1 of the Kitselas subgroup of the Tsimshian people located on the Skeena River in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Kitselas means "people ...
, at the upper end of
Kitselas Canyon Kitselas Canyon, also Kitsalas Canyon is a stretch of the Skeena River in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, between the community of Usk and the Tsimshian community of Kitselas. It was a major obstacle to steamboat travel on the Skeena Ri ...
, which is on the
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 ...
. It was once a great trading nexus, just outside and upriver from the city of
Terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...
. It is the most upriver of the 14 tribes and it borders the territory of the
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 approxim ...
nation.


Location

Today, the Kitselas people live mostly at two Indian reserves, one, at the Kulspai or Queensway reserve ("New Town"), is just across the river from Terrace. More recently, Kitselas people have begun to repopulate a more traditional and remote site on a bluff overlooking the Canyon, at Gitaus reserve (''Git'aws'' meaning "people of the sand"). Gitaus is gradually becoming the centre of Kitselas life. From the 1870s until the 1960s, many Kitselas and
Kitsumkalum Kitsumkalum is an original tribe/ galts'ap (community) of the Tsimshian Nation. Kitsumkalum is one of the 14 tribes of the Tsimshian nation in British Columbia, Canada. Kitsumkalum and is also the name of one of their Indian Reserve just west of th ...
Tsimshians lived at the
cannery Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although un ...
town of
Port Essington Port Essington is an inlet and historic site located on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory. It was the site of an early attempt at British settlement, but now exists only as a remote ...
, farther down the Skeena River (now a ghost town), at the confluence of the Ecstall and Skeena Rivers.


Governance

Until its dissolution in 2005, the Tsimshian Tribal Council represented Kitselas in treaty negotiations with the provincial and federal governments. Its
band government In Canada, an Indian band or band (french: bande indienne, link=no), sometimes referred to as a First Nation band (french: bande de la Première Nation, link=no) or simply a First Nation, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subjec ...
is the
Kitselas First Nation Kitselas First Nation is the band government of the Kitselas subgroup of the Tsimshian. The band government is based at Gitaus in the Skeena Valley (near Kitselas, British Columbia, which is named for them) in the Skeena River valley to the north ...
.
William Beynon William Beynon (1888–1958) was a Canadian hereditary chief of the Tsimshian Nation and an oral historian; he served as ethnographer, translator, and linguistic consultant to many anthropologists who studied his people. Early life and educatio ...
and the
anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...
Marius Barbeau Charles Marius Barbeau, (March 5, 1883 – February 27, 1969), also known as C. Marius Barbeau, or more commonly simply Marius Barbeau, was a Canadian ethnographer and folklorist who is today considered a founder of Canadian anthropology. A ...
recorded traditional information from Kitselas people at Port Essington, B.C., in 1924, including Chief Walter Wright and Chief Samuel Wise, who held the Kitselas
Laxsgiik The Laxsgiik (variously spelled) is the name for the Eagle "clan" (phratry) in the language of the Tsimshian nation of British Columbia, Canada, and southeast Alaska. It is considered analogous or identical to identically named groups among the nei ...
(Eagle-clan) name Gitxon. Following are the house-groups (matrilineal extended families) of the Kitselas: *House of Gagawtsgan --
Laxsgiik The Laxsgiik (variously spelled) is the name for the Eagle "clan" (phratry) in the language of the Tsimshian nation of British Columbia, Canada, and southeast Alaska. It is considered analogous or identical to identically named groups among the nei ...
(Eagle clan) *House of Gitxon—Laxsgiik (Eagle clan) *House of Iyuu's -- Laxsgiik (Eagle clan) *House of G'wam --
Ganhada The Ganhada (variously spelled, but often as G̱anhada) is the name for the Raven "clan" (phratry) in the language of the Tsimshian nation of British Columbia, Canada, and southeast Alaska. It is considered analogous or identical to the G̱anada ( ...
(Raven clan) *House of Niis'hawas --
Gispwudwada {{short description, Indigenous people of British Columbia/Alaska The Gispwudwada or Gisbutwada (variously spelled) is the name for the Killerwhale "clan" (phratry) in the language of the Tsimshian nation of British Columbia, Canada, and southeast A ...
(Killerwhale clan) *House of Niis'nagwalk—Laxsgiik (Eagle clan) *House of Lax'Stell—LaxGibu (Wolf clan) *House of Niis'taxo'ok—Gispwudwada (Killerwhale clan) *House of Sats'an—Ganhada (Raven clan) *House of Niis'Gitlope—Laxgiik (Eagle clan) *House of Stee How—LaxGibu (Wolf clan) Detailed narratives were also recorded from Chief Walter Wright (Niistaxo'ok) in the 1930s and collected in a volume called ''Men of Medeek.''


See also

*
Kitselas First Nation Kitselas First Nation is the band government of the Kitselas subgroup of the Tsimshian. The band government is based at Gitaus in the Skeena Valley (near Kitselas, British Columbia, which is named for them) in the Skeena River valley to the north ...
*
Kitselas Canyon Kitselas Canyon, also Kitsalas Canyon is a stretch of the Skeena River in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, between the community of Usk and the Tsimshian community of Kitselas. It was a major obstacle to steamboat travel on the Skeena Ri ...


Bibliography

* Barbeau, Marius (1950) ''Totem Poles.'' 2 vols. (Anthropology Series 30, National Museum of Canada Bulletin 119.) Ottawa: National Museum of Canada. * Berthiaume, Rocque (1999) ''The Gitselasu: The People of Kitselas Canyon.'' Terrace, B.C.: First Nations Education Centre, School District 82 (Coast Mountains). * Coupland, Gary (1988) ''Prehistoric Cultural Change at Kitselas Canyon.'' Hull, Quebec: Canadian Museum of Civilization. * Haldane, Agnes, et al. (1992) ''Conflict at Gits'ilaasü.'' (Suwilaay'msga Na Ga'niiyatgm, Teachings of Our Grandfathers, vol. 6.) Prince Rupert, B.C.: School District No. 52. * Marsden, Susan (ed.) (1992) ''Na Amwaaltga Ts'msiyeen: The Tsimshian, Trade, and the Northwest Coast Economy.'' (Suwilaay'msga Na Ga'niiyatgm, Teachings of Our Grandfathers, vol. 1.) Prince Rupert, B.C.: School District No. 52. * McDonald, James A. (2003) People of the Robin: The Tsimshian of Kitsumkalum. CCI Press. * Robinson, Will (1962) ''Men of Medeek.'' As told by Walter Wright. Kitimat, B.C.: Northern Sentinel Press


External links


Kitselas First Nation website
Tsimshian Skeena Country