Haisla
Encyclopedia
The Haisla are an indigenous
people living at Kitamaat
in the North Coast
region of the Canadian province of British Columbia
. Their indigenous Haisla language
is named after them. The name Haisla is derived from the Haisla word x̣àʼisla or x̣àʼisəla '(those) living at the rivermouth, living downriver' . Along with the neighbouring Wuikinuxv and Heiltsuk
people, they were incorrectly known in the past as the Northern Kwakiutl.
Kitimaat Village, the Haisla reserve
, is a short 20 minute drive south of the town of Kitimat
at the head of the Douglas Channel
, a 90-km (56-mi) fjord
that serves as saltwater corridor that connects the community and the town and port of Kitimat, which is the site of the aluminum smelter of Alcan
Incorporateed, to the Pacific Ocean. Kitamaat is a Tsimshian
name, applied by European explorers who asked their Tsimshian guides for the name of the place; it means "people of the snows" or "place of the snows". The Haisla name for Kitimaat is C'imo'ca which means "snag beach."
. Its offices are located in Kitimaat Village, British Columbia.
.jpg)
from Sweden's Museum of Ethnography
, after a lengthy international campaign. Their successful efforts were documented in a film by Aboriginal filmmaker Gil Cardinal
, entitled Totem: The Return of the G'psgolox Pole. In 2007 the second part entitled Totem: Return and Renewal was released.
, Heiltsuk
, and Kwak'wala
. The Haisla language consists of two dialects, sometimes defined as sublanguages - Kitamaat and Kitlope (also known as X̣enaksialak’ala).
Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast
The Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those historical peoples. They are now situated within the Canadian Province of British Columbia and the U.S...
people living at Kitamaat
Kitimat, British Columbia
Kitimat is a coastal city in northwestern British Columbia, in the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine. The Kitimat Valley, which includes the adjacent community of Terrace, is the most populous urban district in Northwest British Columbia...
in the North Coast
North Coast
North Coast or Northcoast may refer to :Australia* North Coast , a regionCanada* "North Coast" in British Columbia means the northernmost region of the British Columbia Coast, primarily the communities of Prince Rupert, Terrace and Kitimat and surrounding areas** North Coast , an electoral district...
region of the Canadian province of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Their indigenous Haisla language
Haisla language
The Haisla language is a First Nations language spoken by the Haisla people of the North Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, who are based in the village of Kitaamat 10 km from the town of Kitimat at the head of the Douglas Channel, a 120 km fjord that serves as a...
is named after them. The name Haisla is derived from the Haisla word x̣àʼisla or x̣àʼisəla '(those) living at the rivermouth, living downriver
Heiltsuk
The Heiltsuk are an Indigenous First Nations of the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, centred on the island communities of Bella Bella and Klemtu. The government of the Heiltsuk people is the Heiltsuk Nation...
people, they were incorrectly known in the past as the Northern Kwakiutl.
Kitimaat Village, the Haisla reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
, is a short 20 minute drive south of the town of Kitimat
Kitimat, British Columbia
Kitimat is a coastal city in northwestern British Columbia, in the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine. The Kitimat Valley, which includes the adjacent community of Terrace, is the most populous urban district in Northwest British Columbia...
at the head of the Douglas Channel
Douglas Channel
Douglas Channel is one of the principal inlets of the British Columbia Coast. Its official length from the head of Kitimat Arm, where the aluminum smelter town of Kitimat to Wright Sound, on the Inside Passage ferry route, is 90 km...
, a 90-km (56-mi) fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
that serves as saltwater corridor that connects the community and the town and port of Kitimat, which is the site of the aluminum smelter of Alcan
Alcan
Rio Tinto Alcan Inc. is a Canadian company based in Montreal. It was created on November 15, 2007 as the result of the merger between Rio Tinto PLC's Canadian subsidiary, Rio Tinto Canada Holding Inc., and Canadian company Alcan Inc. On the same date, Alcan Inc. was renamed Rio Tinto Alcan Inc..Rio...
Incorporateed, to the Pacific Ocean. Kitamaat is a Tsimshian
Coast Tsimshian
Coast Tsimshian, known by its speakers as Sm'algyax, is a Tsimshianic language spoken by the Tsimshian nation in northwestern British Columbia and southeastern Alaska...
name, applied by European explorers who asked their Tsimshian guides for the name of the place; it means "people of the snows" or "place of the snows". The Haisla name for Kitimaat is C'imo'ca which means "snag beach."
Government
The government of the Haisla people is the Haisla NationHaisla Nation
The Haisla Nation is a First Nations government in the North Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, centred on the reserve community of Kitamaat Village, which is near the similarly named town of Kitimat....
. Its offices are located in Kitimaat Village, British Columbia.
Cultural Repatriation
In 2006, the Haisla First Nation repatriated a sacred totem poleTotem pole
Totem poles are monumental sculptures carved from large trees, mostly Western Red Cedar, by cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America...
from Sweden's Museum of Ethnography
Museum of Ethnography, Sweden
The Museum of Ethnography , in Stockholm, Sweden, is a Swedish science museum. It houses a collection of about 220,000 items relating to the ethnography, or cultural anthropology, of peoples from around the world, including from China, Korea, South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific region, the...
, after a lengthy international campaign. Their successful efforts were documented in a film by Aboriginal filmmaker Gil Cardinal
Gil Cardinal
Gil Cardinal is a Canadian filmmaker of Métis descent. Born in Edmonton in 1950, and placed in a foster home at the age of two, Cardinal only discovered his Métis roots while making his documentary Foster Child...
, entitled Totem: The Return of the G'psgolox Pole. In 2007 the second part entitled Totem: Return and Renewal was released.
Language
Haisla is a North Wakashan (Kwakiutlan) language spoken by several hundred people. Haisla is geographically the northernmost Wakashan language. Its nearest Wakashan neighbor is Oowekyala. Haisla is related to the other North Wakashan languages, OowekyalaOowekyala language
Oowekyala is a dialect of Heiltsuk-Oowekyala, a Northern Wakashan language spoken around Rivers Inlet and Owikeno Lake in the Central Coast region of the Canadian province...
, Heiltsuk
Heiltsuk language
Heiltsuk , also known as Bella Bella and Haihais, is a dialect of the North Wakashan language Heiltsuk-Oowekyala that is spoken by the Haihai and Bella Bella First Nations peoples of the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, around the communities of Bella Bella and...
, and Kwak'wala
Kwak'wala
Kwak'wala is the Indigenous language spoken by the Kwakwaka'wakw. It belongs to the Wakashan language family. There are about 250 Kwak'wala speakers today, which amounts to 5% of the Kwakwaka'wakw population...
. The Haisla language consists of two dialects, sometimes defined as sublanguages - Kitamaat and Kitlope (also known as X̣enaksialak’ala).