Kitwanga or Gitwangak or Gitwangax ("people of the place of rabbits" 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 ...

) is located where the Kitwanga River runs into 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 ...

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, ...

. A long-standing village before contact, the village is within Gitwangak Indian Reserve No. 1. There is recreational

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...

fishing (chinook, coho, pink, sockeye and steelhead). The community is governed by a local band office. As of the current census the population of Kitwanga is approximately 480 and is primarily a small town made up of patriarchal families like the Ranahans Harris, fallers Faulkners Daniels and the Spooners.

National Historic Site of Canada

The

totem pole Totem poles ( hai, gyáaʼaang) are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually ...

s of Gitwangak village are a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being ...

, as is nearby Kitwanga Fort. The

Gitxsan Nation 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 ...

is made up of: *Kitwanga (Gitwangak) *

Kispiox Kispiox is a Gitxsan (often known also as Gitksan, due to eastern and western dialects) village of approximately 550 in the Kispiox Valley, at the confluence of the Kispiox and Skeena Rivers in British Columbia. Located north of Hazelton, the c ...

(Anspayax) *

Glen Vowell Glen Vowell is an Indian reserve community of the Gitxsan people in the Hazelton area of the Skeena Country of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the west side of the Skeena River between Hazelton and Kispiox. Its traditional ...

(Sik i dak) * Old Hazelton (Gitanmaax) * Gitsegukla, also spelled Kitseguecla or Kitsegukla * Cedarvale (Meanskaniist or Minskinish,). * 'Ksan (living museum/historical village)

Notable residents

* Judith P. Morgan, painter

References

BC Names/GeoBC listing "Kitwanga (community)"

External links

*
Google Map photo of Kitwanga
Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Populated places in the Regional District of Kitimat–Stikine Skeena Country Gitxsan {{KitimatStikine-geo-stub

National Historic Site of Canada

Notable residents

See also

References

External links