The Nisga’a , often formerly spelled Nishga and spelled in the

Nisga'a language Nisga’a (also Nass, Nisgha, Nisg̱a’a, Nishka, Niska, Nishga, Nisqa’a) is a Tsimshianic language of the Nisga'a people of northwestern British Columbia. Nisga'a people, however, dislike the term ''Tshimshianic'' as they feel that it gives p ...

as (pronounced ), are an

Indigenous people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

of Canada in

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, ...

. They reside 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. The name is a reduced form of , which is a loan word from Tongass

Tlingit The Tlingit ( or ; also spelled Tlinkit) are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their language is the Tlingit language (natively , pronounced ),

, where it means "people of the Nass River". The official languages of Nisg̱a’a are the Nisg̱a’a language and English.

Nisga’a culture

Society

Nisga’a society is organized into four tribes: *

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 ( ...

(G̱anada, Raven) *

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 ...

(Gisḵ’aast,

Killer Whale The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...

) *

Laxgibuu The Laxgibuu or Laxgyibuu (variously spelled) is the name for the Wolf "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 clans am ...

(Lax̱gibuu,

Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

) *

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 ...

(Lax̱sgiik,

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

) Each tribe is further sub-divided into house groups – extended families with same origins. Some houses are grouped together into clans – grouping of Houses with same ancestors. Example: Nisgaa mask Louvre MH 81-22-1

*Lax̱gibuu Tribe (Wolf Tribe) ** Gitwilnaak’il Clan (People Separated but of One) *** House of Duuḵ *** House of K’eex̱kw *** House of Gwingyoo

Traditional cuisine

The Nisga’a traditionally harvest "beach food" all year round. This might include razor clams, mussels, oysters, limpets, scallops, abalone, fish, seaweed and other seafood that can be harvested from the shore. They also harvest salmon, cod, char, pike, trout and other fresh water fish from the streams, and hunt seals, fish and sea lion. The grease of the Oolichan (''Thaleichthys pacificus'') fish is sometimes traded with other tribes, though nowadays this is more usually in a ceremonial context. They hunt mountain goat, marmot, game birds and more in the forests. The family works together to cook and process the meat and fish, roasting or boiling the former. They eat fish and sea mammals in frozen, boiled, dried or roasted form. The heads of a type of cod, often gathered half eaten by sharks, are boiled into a soup that helped prevent colds. The Nisga′a also trade dried fish, seal oil, fish oil, blubber and cedar.

Traditional houses

The traditional houses of the Nisga’a are shaped as large rectangles, made of cedar planks with cedar shake roofs, and oriented with the doors facing the water. The doors are usually decorated with the family crest. Inside, the floor is dug down to hold the hearth and conserve temperature. Beds and boxes of possessions are placed around the walls. Prior to the mid twentieth century, around three to four extended families might live in one house: this is nowadays an uncommon practice. Masks and blankets might decorate the walls.

Traditional clothing

Prior to European colonisation, men wore nothing in the summer, normally the best time to hunt and fish. Women wore skirts made of softened cedar bark and went topless. During the colder season, men wore cedar bark skirts (shaped more like a loincloth), a cape of cedar bark, and a basket hat outside in the rain, but wore nothing inside the house. Women wore basket hats and cedar blankets indoors and outdoors. Both sexes made and wore shell and bone necklaces. They rubbed seal blubber into their hair, and men kept their hair long or in a top knot. During warfare, men wore red cedar armour, a cedar helmet, and cedar loincloths. They wielded spears, clubs, harpoons, bows and slings. Wicker shields were common.

Geography

Approximately 2,000 people live in the Fudhu Valley. Another 5,000 Nisga’a live elsewhere in Canada, predominantly within the three urban societies noted in the section below.

Nisga'a villages

The Nisga’a people number about 7,000. In British Columbia, the Nisga’a Nation is represented by four villages: *

Gitlaxt'aamiks Gitlax̱t'aamiks , formerly New Aiyansh , is a Nisga'a village about north of Terrace, in the heart of the Nass River valley, Canada. It is one of four Nisga'a villages. Though it is located in British Columbia, it is also considered the "capita ...

(formerly New Aiyansh) - nearly 800 *

Gitwinksihlkw Gitwinksihlkw ( , ) formerly Canyon City, is a Nisga'a Village in the Nass River valley of northwestern British Columbia, Canada, near that river's confluence with the Tseax River. An older spelling is Kitwilluchsilt. It is one of four Nisga'a ...

(formerly Canyon City) - approximately 200 *

Lax̱g̱altsʼap Lax̱g̱altsap (also Laxqaltsap, and formerly Lachkaltsap or Greenville) is a Nisg̱a’a village of approximately 474, in the Nass River valley of British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the four main villages in the Nisg̱a’a Lisims, the form ...

(formerly Greenville) - more than 500 *

Ging̱olx Ging̱olx (; Gingolx or Kincolith) is a Nisg̱a’a Village in the Nass River valley in British Columbia, Canada. The village population is approximately 400 people. Ging̱olx is one of four Nisg̱a’a villages that make up the Nisg̱a’a Nat ...

(formerly Kincolith) - almost 400

Nisga'a diaspora

Many Nisga’a people have moved to cities for their opportunities. Concentrations are found in three urban areas outside traditional Nisga’a territory: *

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 an ...

* Prince Rupert/ Port Edward *

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

- there are approximately 1,500 Nisga'a in Vancouver, and others elsewhere in the Lower Mainland.

Nisga’a calendar/life

The Nisga’a calendar revolves around harvesting of foods and goods used. The original year followed the various moons throughout the year. * : Like a Spoon (February/March). This is the traditional time to celebrate the new year, also known as . (Variations of spelling include: ) * : To Eat Oolichan (March). The oolichan return to the Nass River the end of February/beginning of March. They are the first food harvested after the winter, which marks the beginning of the harvesting year. * : To Use Canoes Again (April). The ice begins to break on the river, allowing for canoes to be used again * : Leaves Are Blooming (May). The leaves begin to flourish once again * : Sockeye Salmon (June). Sockeye salmon are harvested * : To Eat Berries (July). various berries are harvested * : Great Salmon (August). Great amounts of salmon are harvested * : Trail of the Marmot (September). Small game such as marmots are hunted * : To Eat Trout (October). Trout are the main staple for this month * : To Blanket (November). The earth is "Blanketed" with snow * : To Sit (December). The sun is sitting in one spot * : To Walk North (January). This time of year, the sun begins to go north () again * : To Blow Around (February). Blow around refers to the amount of wind during this time of year

Treaty

On August 4, 1998, a land-claim was settled between the Nisga’a, the government of

, and the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

. As part of the settlement in the Nass River valley, nearly of land was officially recognized as Nisga’a, and a water reservation was also created.

Bear Glacier Provincial Park Bear Glacier Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. The park is in size and was established, effective 11 May 2000, by the Nisga'a Treaty, Appendix G-3. The toe of Bear Glacier is visible from British Columbia Highw ...

was also created as a result of this agreement. The land-claim's settlement was the first formal treaty signed by a

First Nation Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

in British Columbia since the

Douglas Treaties The Douglas Treaties, also known as the Vancouver Island Treaties or the Fort Victoria Treaties, were a series of treaties signed between certain indigenous groups on Vancouver Island and the Colony of Vancouver Island. Background With the signin ...

in 1854 (

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

) and

Treaty 8 Treaty 8, which concluded with the June 21, 1899 signing by representatives of the Crown and various First Nations of the Lesser Slave Lake area, is the most comprehensive of the one of eleven Numbered Treaties. The agreement encompassed a ...

in 1899 (northeastern British Columbia). The land that is owned collectively is under internal pressures from the Nisga'a people to turn it over into a system of individual ownership. This would have an effect on the rest of Canada in regards to First Nations lands.

History

The

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 ...

situated in a valley above and east of the

Ksi Sii Aks 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 ...

(formerly Tseax River) was the source for an eruption during the 18th century that killed approximately 2,000 Nisga’a people from poisonous

volcanic gas Volcanic gases are gases given off by active (or, at times, by dormant) volcanoes. These include gases trapped in cavities (vesicles) in volcanic rocks, dissolved or dissociated gases in magma and lava, or gases emanating from lava, from volcani ...

es.

Government

The government bodies of the Nisgaʼa include the Nisgaʼa Lisims government, the government of the Nisgaʼa Nation, and the Nisgaʼa village governments, one for each of the four Nisgaʼa villages.Nisgaʼa Final Agreement, Government.
Retrieved 5 October 2011. The Nisgaʼa Lisims government ( ncg, Wilp SiʼAyuukhl Nisgaʼa) is located in the Nisgaʼa Lisims Government Building in

Museum

In 2011 the Nisg̱aʼa Museum, a project of the Nisga'a Lisims government, opened in

. It contains many historical artifacts of the Nisga'a people returned after many decades in major museums beyond the Nass Valley.

Prominent Nisga’a

* Jordan Abel, poet *

Frank Arthur Calder Frank Arthur Calder, (August 3, 1915 – November 4, 2006) was a Nisga'a politician in Canada. Born in Nass Harbour, British Columbia, Calder was the first indigenous person to graduate from the Anglican Theological College of the Unive ...

, Sim'oogit Wii Lisims

hereditary chief Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic informa ...

, treaty negotiator, rights activist, legislator, president emeritus Nisga'a Lisims Government * Joseph Gosnell, hereditary chief Sim'oogit Hleek, treaty negotiator, former President Nisga'a Lisims Government * Norman Tait,

- Sim'oogit G̱awaaḵ of Luuya'as, master carver * Ron Telek, of

Luuya'as, carver * Larry McNeil, Tlingit-Nisga'a photographer

References

External links

Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government

School District 92 (Nisga’a)

Gitmax̱mak’ay Nisga’a Prince Rupert/Port Edward Society

Ging̱olx website

Nisga’a People of the Rainbow

Nisga'a Museum

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nisga'a Nass Country North Coast of British Columbia