Heber Clifton
Encyclopedia
Heber Clifton was an hereditary chief of the Gitga'ata
tribe of the Tsimshian
nation of British Columbia
, Canada. He was from the Tsimshian community of Hartley Bay, B.C. He was of the Gispwudwada
or Killerwhale clan.
As a child he moved to William Duncan's
mission at Metlakatla BC
, but when many Tsimshian migrated to Metlakatla Alaska
in 1887, he was one of a group of families who moved back to their traditional territories and founded the new community of Hartlely Bay. He and his wife Lucy were married by Rev. Thomas Crosby
in 1891. They had a large family of five sons and four daughters
His leadership abilities were recognized and he became hereditary chief of the village early in the 20th century. He worked all his life in the commercial fishing industry and also worked for Aboriginal rights. He spoke to the McKenna-McBride Commission
in 1913 and was one of the founders of the Native Brotherhood of British Columbia
.
He recorded some of his oral traditional knowledge with the Tsimshian ethnologist William Beynon
, including a version of the story of Gwinaxnuusimgyet.
Gitga'ata
The Gitga'ata are one of the 14 tribes of the Tsimshian nation in British Columbia, Canada, and inhabit the village of Hartley Bay, British Columbia, the name of which in the Tsimshian language is Txałgiu. The name Gitga'ata in the Tsimshian language means "people of the cane"...
tribe of the Tsimshian
Tsimshian
The Tsimshian are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Tsimshian translates to Inside the Skeena River. Their communities are in British Columbia and Alaska, around Terrace and Prince Rupert and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. There are approximately 10,000...
nation 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...
, Canada. He was from the Tsimshian community of Hartley Bay, B.C. He was of the Gispwudwada
Gispwudwada
The Gispwudwada is the name for the Killerwhale "clan" in the language of the Tsimshian nation of British Columbia, Canada, and southeast Alaska. It is considered analogous or identical to the Gisgahaast clan in British Columbia's Gitksan nation and the Gisk'ahaast/Gisk'aast Tribe of the Nisga'a...
or Killerwhale clan.
As a child he moved to William Duncan's
William Duncan (missionary)
William Duncan was an English-born Anglican missionary who founded the Tsimshian communities of Metlakatla, British Columbia, in Canada, and Metlakatla, Alaska, in the United States...
mission at Metlakatla BC
Metlakatla, British Columbia
Metlakatla, British Columbia, is a small community that is one of the seven Tsimshian village communities in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated at Metlakatla Pass near Prince Rupert, British Columbia...
, but when many Tsimshian migrated to Metlakatla Alaska
Metlakatla, Alaska
Metlakatla is a census-designated place on Annette Island in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,375.- History :...
in 1887, he was one of a group of families who moved back to their traditional territories and founded the new community of Hartlely Bay. He and his wife Lucy were married by Rev. Thomas Crosby
Thomas Crosby
The Rev. Thomas Crosby was an English Methodist missionary known for his work among the First Nations people of coastal British Columbia, Canada....
in 1891. They had a large family of five sons and four daughters
His leadership abilities were recognized and he became hereditary chief of the village early in the 20th century. He worked all his life in the commercial fishing industry and also worked for Aboriginal rights. He spoke to the McKenna-McBride Commission
McKenna-McBride Royal Commission
The Royal Commission on Indian Affairs for the Province of British Columbia was a Royal Commission established in 1912 to resolve the "Indian reserve question" in British Columbia....
in 1913 and was one of the founders of the Native Brotherhood of British Columbia
Native Brotherhood of British Columbia
The Native Brotherhood of British Columbia is a province-wide First Nations rights organization founded in the Tsimshian community of Port Simpson , British Columbia, in 1931. The Tsimshian ethnologist and chief William Beynon and Chief William Jeffrey were among its four founding members...
.
He recorded some of his oral traditional knowledge with the Tsimshian ethnologist William Beynon
William Beynon
William Beynon was a hereditary chief from the Tsimshian nation and an oral historian who served as ethnographer, translator, and linguistic consultant to many anthropologists....
, including a version of the story of Gwinaxnuusimgyet.
Sources
- Barbeau, Marius (1950) Totem Poles. 2 vols. (Anthropology Series 30, National Museum of Canada Bulletin 119.) Ottawa: National Museum of Canada.
- Campbell, Kenneth (2005). Persistence and Change, A History of the Ts'msyen Nation. First Nations Education Services, SD 52, Prince Rupert.