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The Nisga’a /ˈnɪsɡɑː/ (Niska[2]), often formerly spelled NishgaorNiska and spelled in the Nisga'a languageasNisg̱a’a (pronounced [nisqaʔa]), are an Indigenous peopleinBritish 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'.[2] The name is a reduced form of [naːsqaʔ], which is a loan word from Tongass Tlingit, where it means 'people of the Nass River'.[3][better source needed]
Nisga'a community members and officials at the dedication of their new government building in 2000.
| |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 5,495 (2016 census)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Canada (British Columbia) | |
| Languages | |
| English • Nisga'a | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Gitxsan |
| People | Nisg̱a'a |
|---|---|
| Language | Nisqáʔamq |
| Country | Nisg̱a'a La̱xyip |
The official languages of Nisg̱a’a are the Nisg̱a’a language and English.[4]
Nisga’a society is organized into four tribes:
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:
The Nisga’a traditionally harvest "beach food" all year round.[5] 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 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]
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]
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]
Approximately 2,000 people live in the Fudhu Valley.[6] Another 5,000 Nisga’a live elsewhere in Canada, predominantly within the three urban societies noted in the section below.
The Nisga’a people number about 7,000.[6] In British Columbia, the Nisga’a Nation is represented by four villages:
Many Nisga’a people have moved to cities for their opportunities. Concentrations are found in three urban areas outside traditional Nisga’a territory:
The Nisga’a calendar revolves around harvesting of foods and goods used.[8] The original year followed the various moons throughout the year.[citation needed]
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 2,000 km2 (770 sq mi) of land was officially recognized as Nisga’a, and a 300,000 dam3 (240,000 acre⋅ft) 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 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.[9]
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 gases.
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.[10] The Nisgaʼa Lisims government (Nisga'a: Wilp SiʼAyuukhl Nisgaʼa) is in the Nisgaʼa Lisims Government BuildinginGitlaxt'aamiks.
| Office | English name | Nisga’a name | Tribe |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Eva Clayton | Noxs Tsʼimuwa Jiixw | Ganada |
| Secretary-treasurer | Charles Morven | Bilaam ʼNeeḵhl | Ganada |
| Chairperson | Brian Tait | Gadim Sbayt Gan | Ganada |
| Chairperson, Council of Elders | Herbert Morven | Kʼeex̱kw | Laxgibuu |
| Chief councillors | Claude Barton, Sr, Ging̱olx | Maaksgum Gaak | Ganada |
| Don Leeson, Lax̱g̱alts’ap | G̱aḵʼetgum Yee | Laxgibuu | |
| Elaine Moore, Gitwinksihlkw | Daaxheet | Ganada | |
| Calvin Morven, Gitlax̱tʼaamiks | Neexdax | Ganada | |
| Nisg̱aʼa urban local representatives | Andrea Doolan, Tsʼamiks – Vancouver | Ganim Tsʼimaws | Giskʼaast |
| Travis Angus, Tsʼamiks – Vancouver | Niʼismiou | Laxgibuu | |
| Keith Azak, Gitlax̱dax – Terrace | Laxsgiik | ||
| Maryanne Stanley, Gitlax̱dax – Terrace | Giskʼaast | ||
| Clifford Morgan, Gitmax̱maḵʼay – Prince Rupert/Port Edward | NiʼisḴʼanmalaa | Ganada | |
| Juanita Parnell, Gitmax̱maḵʼay – Prince Rupert/Port Edward | Laxsgiik |
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.
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