Kitasoo
Encyclopedia
The Kitasoo are one of the 14 tribes of the Tsimshian
people in Canada
, who inhabit, along with Xai'xais people of Heiltsuk
ethnic affiliation, the village of Klemtu, British Columbia
. The name Kitasoo derives from the Tsimshian name Gidestsu, from git- (people of) and disdzuu, which refers to a large, tiered house-depression. The Kitasoo, along with the Gitga'ata
Tsimshians at Hartley Bay, B.C., are often classed as "Southern Tsimshian," their traditional language being the southern dialect
of the Tsimshian language. Their band government is the Kitasoo/Xaixais First Nation
, a member government of the Oweekeno-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council
.
The anthropologist Marius Barbeau
recorded in 1947 that John Starr was of the "Klemtu" tribe and held the hereditary name Lagax'niitsk.
.
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...
people in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, who inhabit, along with Xai'xais people of Heiltsuk
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...
ethnic affiliation, the village of Klemtu, 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...
. The name Kitasoo derives from the Tsimshian name Gidestsu, from git- (people of) and disdzuu, which refers to a large, tiered house-depression. The Kitasoo, along with the Gitga'ata
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"...
Tsimshians at Hartley Bay, B.C., are often classed as "Southern Tsimshian," their traditional language being the southern dialect
Southern Tsimshian language
Southern Tsimshian or Sgüüx̣s is the southern dialect of the Coast Tsimshian language, spoken by the Gitga'ata and Kitasoo Tsimshians in Klemtu, B.C..Today the language has just one fluent speaker....
of the Tsimshian language. Their band government is the Kitasoo/Xaixais First Nation
Kitasoo/Xaixais First Nation
The Kitasoo/Xaixais First Nation, also known as the Kitasoo/Xaixais Nation, is the band government of the First Nations people of Klemtu, British Columbia, Canada. The band comprises two ethnic groups who share an ancient alliance, the Kitasoo, a Tsimshian group, and the Xai'xais, a Heiltsuk group...
, a member government of the Oweekeno-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council
Oweekeno-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council
The Oweekeno-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council is a First Nations tribal council comprising band governments of three indigenous peoples of the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada...
.
The anthropologist Marius Barbeau
Marius Barbeau
Charles Marius Barbeau, , also known as C. Marius Barbeau, or more commonly simply Marius Barbeau, was a Canadian ethnographer and folklorist who is today considered a founder of Canadian anthropology...
recorded in 1947 that John Starr was of the "Klemtu" tribe and held the hereditary name Lagax'niitsk.
Prehistoric culture
Some information is known about the lifestyle and diet of the prehistoric Kitasoo based upon archaeological recovery. For example the Kitasoo exploited numerous flora and fauna as food sources including the Whitebark Raspberry, Rubus leucodermisRubus leucodermis
Rubus leucodermis is a species of Rubus native to western North America, from British Columbia, Canada south to California, New Mexico and Mexico...
.