View source for Nisga'a

{{Short description|Indigenous people in British Columbia}}
{{About|the ethnic group|their language|Nisga'a language}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Nisga'a
| flag =
| image = Nisga'a Lisims Government Building - dedication 01.jpg
| image_caption = Nisga'a community members and officials at the dedication of their new government building in 2000.
| population = 5,495 (2016 census)
| total_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=110522&PRID=10&PTYPE=109445&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2017&THEME=122&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=|title=Aboriginal Ancestry Responses (73), Single and Multiple Aboriginal Responses (4), Residence on or off reserve (3), Residence inside or outside Inuit Nunangat (7), Age (8A) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces and Territories, 2016 Census – 25% Sample Data|publisher=Government of Canada|website=www12.statcan.gc.ca|date=25 October 2017 |language=en|access-date=23 November 2017}}</ref>
| popplace = Canada ([[British Columbia]])
| languages = English{{*}}[[Nisga'a language|Nisga'a]]
| related = [[Gitxsan]]
}}
{{Infobox ethnonym|root=|person=|people=Nisg̱a'a|language=[[Nisga'a language|Nisqáʔamq]] |country=Nisg̱a'a La̱xyip}}
The '''Nisga’a''' ({{IPAc-en|lang|ˈ|n|ɪ|s|ɡ|ɑː}}; {{langx|ncg|Nisg̱a’a}} {{IPA|sal|nisqaʔa|}}), formerly spelled '''Nishga''' or '''Niska''',<ref name="gale" /> are an [[Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast|Indigenous people]] in [[British Columbia]], Canada. They reside in the [[Nass River]] valley of northwestern British Columbia. The origin of the term ''Niska'' is uncertain. The spelling ''Nishga'' is used by the Nishga Tribal Council, and some scholars claim that the term means 'people of the Nass River'.<ref name=gale>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rYQZAQAAIAAJ&q=%22people+of+the+Nass+River%22 |title=The Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes |date=1998 |publisher=Gale |page=388 |isbn=978-0-7876-1085-2 |language=en}}</ref> The name is a reduced form of {{IPA|sal|naːsqaʔ|}}, which is a loan word from Tongass [[Tlingit language|Tlingit]], where it means 'people of the Nass River'.<ref>[[Bruce Rigsby|Rigsby, Bruce]] "Nisga'a Etymology", ms. University of Queensland.</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=Unpublished thesis not available via any dissertation database or Google search|date=August 2016}}

The official languages of Nisg̱a’a are the Nisg̱a’a language and English.<ref>{{cite constitution|article=I|section=4|country=Nisg̱a’a Nation|language=Nisg̱a’a|ratified=October 1998|url=https://www.nisgaanation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Constitution-of-the-Nisgaa-Nation-1998-10-01-1.pdf|access-date=November 2, 2024|archive-url=|archive-date=|clause=|website=Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government}}</ref>

==Culture==

===Social Organization===
Nisga’a society is organized into four tribes:
* [[Ganhada]] (G̱anada, [[Raven]])
* [[Gisḵ’aast]] (Gisḵ’aast, [[Killer Whale]])
* [[Laxgibuu]] (Lax̱gibuu, [[Wolf]])
* [[Laxsgiik]] (Lax̱sgiik, [[Eagle]])

Each tribe is further sub-divided into house groups – extended families with the same origins. Some houses are grouped together into clans – grouping of houses with same ancestors. Example:
[[File:Nisgaa mask Louvre MH 81-22-1.jpg|thumb|Mask with open eyes, worn during winter {{lang|ncg|halait}} ceremonies, 18th–early 19th century]]
*Lax̱gibuu Tribe (Wolf Tribe)
** Gitwilnaak’il Clan (People Separated but of One)
*** House of Bax̱k'ap
*** House of K’eex̱kw
*** House of Gwingyoo
*** House of Duuḵ

===Traditional cuisine===
The Nisga’a traditionally harvest "sea food" all year round.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/07/150707-salvation-fish-canada-first-nations-animals-conservation-world/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001204514/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/07/150707-salvation-fish-canada-first-nations-animals-conservation-world/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 October 2019 |title='Salvation Fish' That Sustained Native People Now Needs Saving|date=7 July 2015|website=National Geographic News|language=en|access-date=28 April 2020}}</ref> This might include [[razor clam]]s, [[mussel]]s, [[oyster]]s, [[limpet]]s, [[scallop]]s, abalone, fish, seaweed and other seafood that can be harvested from the shore. They also harvest [[salmon]], [[cod]], [[char (fish)|char]], [[pike (fish)|pike]], trout and other freshwater fish from the streams, and hunt seals, fish and [[sea lion]]. The grease of the [[oolichan]] fish (''Thaleichthys pacificus'') 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, according to folklore, helps prevent colds. The Nisga′a also trade dried fish, seal oil, fish oil, blubber and cedar.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

===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 or four extended families might live in one house; this is nowadays an uncommon practice. Masks and blankets might decorate the walls.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

=== Traditional clothing ===
Prior to European colonization, 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.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

=== Calendar/life ===
The Nisga’a calendar revolves around harvesting of foods and goods used.<ref>[https://www.nisgaanation.ca/nisgaa-annual-cycle Nisga'a Annual Cycle] www.nisgaanation.ca accessed 28 August 2023</ref> The original year followed the various moons throughout the year.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}
* {{lang|ncg|[[Hobiyee]]}}: Like a Spoon (February/March). This is the traditional time to celebrate the new year, also known as {{lang|ncg|Hoobiyee}}. (Variations of spelling include: {{lang|ncg|Hoobiyee, Hobiiyee, Hoobiiyee}})
* {{lang|ncg|X̱saak}}: To Eat [[Eulachon|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.
* {{lang|ncg|Mmaal}}: To Use Canoes Again (April). The ice begins to break on the river, allowing for canoes to be used again
* {{lang|ncg|Yansa’alt}}: Leaves Are Blooming (May). The leaves begin to flourish once again
* {{lang|ncg|Miso’o}}: Sockeye Salmon (June). Sockeye salmon are harvested
* {{lang|ncg|X̱maay}}: To Eat Berries (July). various berries are harvested
* {{lang|ncg|Wii Hoon}}: Great Salmon (August). Great amounts of salmon are harvested
* {{lang|ncg|Genuugwiikw}}: Trail of the Marmot (September). Small game such as marmots are hunted
* {{lang|ncg|X̱laaxw}}: To Eat Trout (October). Trout are the main staple for this month
* {{lang|ncg|Gwilatkw}}: To Blanket (November). The earth is "Blanketed" with snow
* {{lang|ncg|Luut’aa}}: To Sit (December). The sun is sitting in one spot
* {{lang|ncg|Ḵ’aliiyee}}: To Walk North (January). This time of year, the sun begins to go north ({{lang|ncg|K’alii}}) again
* {{lang|ncg|Buxwlaks}}: To Blow Around (February). Blow around refers to the amount of wind during this time of year

==Geography==

Approximately 2,000 people live in the Nass Valley.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Seigel |first1=Rachel |title=Nisgaʼa Nation |date=2018 |publisher=Beech Street Books |isbn=978-1-77308-189-2 |series=Indigenous Communities in Canada |location=Collingwood, Ontario |pages=6–7 |language=en |oclc=1006759814}}</ref> Another 5,000 Nisga’a live elsewhere in Canada, predominantly within the three urban societies noted in the section below.

===Nisgaʼa villages===
The Nisga’a people number about 7,000.<ref name=":0" />{{Better source needed|reason=This is a book for children aged 7-9|date=January 2025}} In British Columbia, the Nisga’a Nation is represented by four villages:

* [[Gitlaxtʼaamiks]] (formerly New Aiyansh) – nearly 800
* [[Gitwinksihlkw]] (formerly Canyon City) – approximately 200
* [[Lax̱g̱altsʼap]] (formerly Greenville) – more than 500
* [[Ging̱olx]] (formerly Kincolith) – almost 400

===Nisgaʼa 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, British Columbia|Terrace]]
* [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia|Prince Rupert]]/[[Port Edward, British Columbia|Port Edward]]
* [[Vancouver]] – there are approximately 1,500 Nisgaʼa in Vancouver, and others elsewhere in the [[Lower Mainland]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hamilton |first=Wawmeesh G. |date=10 Nov 2014 |title=Nisga’a Nation Roils as LNG Deal Progresses |url=https://thetyee.ca/News/2014/11/10/Nisgaa-LNG/ |access-date=2025-01-27 |work=[[The Tyee]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Treaty==
{{main|Nisga'a Final Agreement}}
On August 4, 1998, a land-claim was settled between the Nisga’a, the government of [[British Columbia]], and the [[Government of Canada]]. As part of the settlement in the Nass River valley, nearly {{cvt|2,000|km2}} of land was officially recognized as Nisga’a, and a {{cvt|300,000|dam3|acre-ft|lk=in}} water reservation was also created. [[Bear Glacier Provincial Park]] was also created as a result of this agreement. The land-claim's settlement was the first formal treaty signed by a [[First Nations in Canada|First Nation]] in British Columbia since the [[Douglas Treaties]] in 1854 ([[Vancouver Island]]) and [[Treaty 8]] in 1899 (northeastern British Columbia). The land 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.<ref name="land treaty">{{Cite episode|title=This Land is My Land|url=http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/this-land-is-my-land-nov-4-2013-1.2355365 |series=The Current|series-link=The Current (radio program)|first=Anna Maria|last=Tremonti|author-link=Anna Maria Tremonti|network=CBC Radio One|date=4 November 2013|access-date=4 November 2013}}</ref>

==History==
{{main|Tseax Cone}}
The [[Tseax Cone]] in a valley above and east of the [[Ksi Sii Aks]] (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]]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.<ref>[http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100031252#chp11 Nisgaʼa Final Agreement, Government.] accessed 5 October 2011. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415094001/http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100031252#chp11 |date=15 April 2012 }}</ref> The Nisgaʼa Lisims government ({{langx|ncg|Wilp SiʼAyuukhl Nisgaʼa}}) is in the [[Gitlaxt'aamiks#Capital of the Nisga'a Nation|Nisgaʼa Lisims Government Building]] in [[Gitlaxt'aamiks]].

{| class="wikitable"
! scope=col | Office
! scope=col | English name
! scope=col | Nisga’a name
! scope=col | Tribe
|-
! scope=row | President
|Eva Clayton
|{{lang|ncg|Noxs Tsʼimuwa Jiixw}}
|Ganada
|-
! scope=row | Secretary-treasurer
|Charles Morven
|{{lang|ncg|Bilaam ʼNeeḵhl}}
|Ganada
|-
! scope=row | Chairperson
|Brian Tait
|{{lang|ncg|Gadim Sbayt Gan}}
|Ganada
|-
! scope=row | Chairperson, Council of Elders
|Herbert Morven
|{{lang|ncg|Kʼeex̱kw}}
|Laxgibuu
|-
!rowspan=4 scope=row |Chief councillors
|Claude Barton, Sr, Ging̱olx
|{{lang|ncg|Maaksgum Gaak}}
|Ganada
|-
|Don Leeson, Lax̱g̱alts’ap
|{{lang|ncg|G̱aḵʼetgum Yee}}
|Laxgibuu
|-
|Elaine Moore, Gitwinksihlkw
|{{lang|ncg|Daaxheet}}
|Ganada
|-
|Calvin Morven, Gitlax̱tʼaamiks
|{{lang|ncg|Neexdax}}
|Ganada
|-
!rowspan=6 scope=row |Nisg̱aʼa urban local representatives
|Andrea Doolan, Tsʼamiks – Vancouver
|{{lang|ncg|Ganim Tsʼimaws}}
|Giskʼaast
|-
|Travis Angus, Tsʼamiks – Vancouver
|{{lang|ncg|Niʼismiou}}
|Laxgibuu
|-
|Keith Azak, Gitlax̱dax – Terrace
|
|Laxsgiik
|-
|Maryanne Stanley, Gitlax̱dax – Terrace
|
|Giskʼaast
|-
|Clifford Morgan, Gitmax̱maḵʼay – Prince Rupert/Port Edward
|{{lang|ncg|NiʼisḴʼanmalaa}}
|Ganada
|-
|Juanita Parnell, Gitmax̱maḵʼay – Prince Rupert/Port Edward
|
|Laxsgiik
|}

==Museum==
In 2011 the [[Nisg̱aʼa Museum]], a project of the Nisga'a Lisims government, opened in [[Lax̱g̱altsʼap]]. 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 Calder (politician)|Frank Arthur Calder]], Sim'oogit Wii Lisims [[Gispwudwada|hereditary chief]], treaty negotiator, rights activist, legislator, president emeritus Nisga'a Lisims Government
* [[Joseph Gosnell]], [[Laxsgiik|hereditary chief Sim'oogit Hleek]], treaty negotiator, former President Nisga'a Lisims Government
* [[Norman Tait]], [[Laxsgiik|hereditary chief]] – Sim'oogit G̱awaaḵ of {{lang|ncg|wilp}} Luuya'as, master carver
* [[Ron Telek]], of [[Laxsgiik]] {{lang|ncg|wilp}} Luuya'as, carver
* [[Larry McNeil (photographer)|Larry McNeil]], Tlingit-Nisga'a photographer
* [[Da-ka-xeen Mehner]], Tlingit/Nisga'a photographer and installation artist
* [[Patrick Reid Stewart|Patrick Robert Reid Stewart]], architect

==See also==
* [[Nisga'a Highway]]
* [[Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park]]
* [[School District 92 Nisga'a]]
* [[Nisga'a and Haida Crest Poles of the Royal Ontario Museum]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* Barbeau, Marius (1950) ''Totem Poles.'' 2 vols. (Anthropology Series 30, National Museum of Canada Bulletin 119.) Ottawa: National Museum of Canada.
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/nw/nass/index.htm Boas, Franz, ''Tsimshian Texts (Nass River Dialect)'', 1902]
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/nw/tst/index.htm Boas, Franz, ''Tsimshian Texts (New Series)'', [1912&#93;]
* Morven, Shirley (ed.) (1996) ''From Time before Memory.'' New Aiyansh, B.C.: School District No. 92 (Nisga’a).
* Bryant, Elvira C. (1996) ''Up Your Nass.'' Church of Religious Research.
* Collison, W. H. (1915) ''In the Wake of the War Canoe: A Stirring Record of Forty Years' Successful Labour, Peril and Adventure amongst the Savage Indian Tribes of the Pacific Coast, and the Piratical Head-Hunting Haida of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia.'' Toronto: Musson Book Company. Reprinted by Sono Nis Press, Victoria, B.C. (ed. by Charles Lillard), 1981.
* Dean, Jonathan R. (1993) "The 1811 Nass River Incident: Images of First Conflict on the Intercultural Frontier." ''Canadian Journal of Native Studies,'' vol. 13, no. 1, pp.&nbsp;83–103.
* "Fur Trader, A" ([[Peter Skene Ogden]]) (1933) ''Traits of American Indian Life and Character.'' San Francisco: Grabhorn Press. Reprinted, Dover Publications, 1995. (Ch. 4 is the earliest known description of a Nisga'a [[potlatch|feast]].)
* McNeary, Stephen A. (1976) ''Where Fire Came Down: Social and Economic Life of the Niska.'' Ph.D. dissertation, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Penn.
* Patterson, E. Palmer, II (1982) ''Mission on the Nass: The Evangelization of the Nishga (1860–1890).'' Waterloo, Ontario: Eulachon Press.
* Raunet, Daniel (1996) ''Without Surrender, without Consent: A History of the Nisga’a Land Claims.'' Revised ed. Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre.
* Rose, Alex (2000) ''Spirit Dance at Meziadin: Chief Joseph Gosnell and the Nisga’a Treaty.'' Madeira Park, B.C.: Harbour Publishing.
* Roth, Christopher F. (2002) "Without Treaty, without Conquest: Indigenous Sovereignty in Post-Delgamuukw British Columbia." ''Wíčazo Ša Review,'' vol. 17, no. 2, pp.&nbsp;143–165.
* Sapir, Edward (1915) "A Sketch of the Social Organization of the Nass River Indians." ''Anthropological Series,'' no. 7. ''Geological Survey, Museum Bulletin,'' no. 19. Ottawa: Government Printing Office. ([https://archive.org/details/sketchofsocialor00sapiiala Online version] at the [[Internet Archive]])
* Sterritt, Neil J., ''et al.'' (1998) ''Tribal Boundaries in the Nass Watershed.'' Vancouver: U.B.C. Press.
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Nisga'a}}
* [http://www.nisgaalisims.ca/ Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government]
* [http://www.nisgaa.bc.ca/ School District 92 (Nisga’a)]
* [http://www.nisgaahall.ca/ Gitmax̱mak’ay Nisga’a Prince Rupert/Port Edward Society]
* [http://www.gingolx.ca Ging̱olx website]
* [http://www.nisgaahall.ca/ Nisga’a People of the Rainbow]
* [http://www.nisgaamuseum.ca/ Nisga'a Museum]
* [http://www.canadianfilm.com/Nass/nass_river_indians_movie.html ''Nass River Indians'' Movie, Canadianfilm]
{{First Nations in British Columbia}}{{Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest}}{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nisga'a}}
[[Category:Nisga'a| ]]
[[Category:Nass Country]]
[[Category:North Coast of British Columbia]]