![Klemtu, British Columbia - 8-5-2006](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Klemtu%2C_British_Columbia_-_8-5-2006.jpg)
Klemtu is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
on
Swindle Island
Swindle Island is an island on the North Coast of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located south of Princess Royal Island on the Inside Passage shipping route. The small First Nations community of Klemtu is located on its eastern ...
in the coastal
fjords
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Icela ...
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, ...
, Canada. It is located on Kitasoo Indian Reserve No. 1.
Klemtu is the home of the
Kitasoo The Kitasoo are one of the 14 tribes of the Tsimshian people in Canada, who inhabit, along with Xai'xais people of Heiltsuk ethnic affiliation, the village of Klemtu, British Columbia. The name ''Kitasoo'' derives from the Tsimshian name ''Gidests ...
tribe of
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 ...
s, originally from
Kitasu Bay, and the Xai'xais of
Kynoch Inlet
Kynoch was a manufacturer of ammunition, later incorporated into ICI but remaining as a brand name for sporting cartridges.
History
The firm of Pursall and Phillips operated a 'percussion cap manufactory' at Whittall Street, in Birmingham, i ...
, extends eastward from Queen Charlotte Sound, approximately at . It is adjacent to the
Fiordland Conservancy
The Fiordland Conservancy, also known as the Fiordland Recreation Area formerly, and since also as the Fiordland Conservation Area, is a conservancy in British Columbia, Canada. It preserves a portion of the province's coast containing glacial fj ...
. These two tribes live together as, and are jointly governed by, the
Kitasoo/Xai'xais Nation. Traditional languages spoken at Klemtu are the southern dialect of the Tsimshian language, called
Southern Tsimshian
Southern Tsimshian, (pronounced: ) or , is the southern dialect of the Tsimshian language, spoken by the Gitga'ata and Kitasoo Tsimshians in Klemtu, B.C. It became extinct with the death of the last remaining speaker, Violet Neasloss.
is close ...
, and Xaixais, a dialect of the
Heiltsuk language
Heiltsuk , also known as Haíɫzaqv, Bella Bella and Haihais, is a dialect of the North Wakashan (Kwakiutlan) language Heiltsuk-Oowekyala that is spoken by the Haihai ( Xai'xais) and Bella Bella First Nations peoples of the Central Coast region ...
. In religious affiliation, the community is dominated by the
United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada (french: link=no, Église unie du Canada) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholi ...
.
The government of the Kitasoo/Xai'xais Nation is a member government of the
Oweekeno-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council The Wuikinuxv-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council, formerly the Oweekeno-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council, is a First Nations tribal council comprising band governments of three indigenous peoples of the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. T ...
.
The population of Klemtu in 1983 was 269. the population of Klemtu was 505.
Name origin
An alternate older name for Klemtu is Kitasoo. it was also known as China Hat due to the shape of
Cone Island, which protects it from the open water. The name Klemtu is from the
Coast Tsimshian language
Tsimshian, known by its speakers as Sm'álgyax, is a dialect of the Tsimshian language spoken in northwestern British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. ''Sm'algyax'' means literally "real or true language."
The linguist Tonya Stebbins estimat ...
"Klemdoo-oolk," meaning "impassable".
See also
*
List of canneries in British Columbia
This is a list of canneries and cannery towns in British Columbia, Canada.
Fish and seafood
*Alert Bay
*Alexandra a.k.a. Alexander (Skeena River)
*Arrandale (Nass River)
* Balmoral (Skeena River)
* Bliss Landing
*Bones Bay
* Boswell
* Butedale
...
*
List of Indian reserves in British Columbia
The Government of Canada has established at least 316 reserves for First Nation band governments in its westernmost province of British Columbia. The majority of these reserves continue to exist while a number are no longer in existence.
See a ...
References
External links
The Kitasoo/Xai'Xais NationAn Introduction to Klemtu
Bibliography
*Inglis, Gordon B., ''et al.'' (1990) "Tsimshians of British Columbia since 1900." In ''Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 7: Northwest Coast,'' pp. 285–293. Washington: Smithsonian Institution.
*Miller, Jay (1981) "Moieties and Cultural Amnesia: Manipulation of Knowledge in a Pacific Northwest Coast Native Community," ''Arctic Anthropology,'' vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 23–32.
*Miller, Jay (1982) "Tsimshian Moieties and Other Clarifications," ''Northwest Anthropological Research Notes,'' vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 148–164.
{{coord, 52, 35, N, 128, 32, W, region:CA_type:city, display=title
Populated places on the British Columbia Coast
Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia
Tsimshian
Heiltsuk
North Coast of British Columbia
Central Coast of British Columbia