Haida Gwaii has a special place in my heart – the culture, the geography, and the art, and the people. I know most about this Indigenous region of the province as I have friends from Terrace and Bella Bella. The North Coast Indigenous region is so beautiful and wild to me. I was happy to learn about Indigenous communities in this region I had not even heard of before – the Tinglit for example.

I know Haida Gwaii has a very strong Haida Language revitalization school thanks in part to our friend Kevin Borserio. I would love to go back to Haida Gwaii soon and explore the island and surrounding areas (Stikine, Tinglit and Nass River Valley areas).

FN Population: 35,299

Total Pop’n: 56,200

Pop’n % FN: 62.81%

The North Coast Region covers the northern coastal areas of the province (north of Bella Bella) as well as Haida Gwaii. Prince Rupert, Terrace and Kitimat are the major population and commercial centres in the region. Over 60% of the Region’s 56,200 inhabitants are First Nations, the highest percentage of the 8 BC Development Regions.

The North Coast Region is comprised of the Traditional Territories of the Coast Tsimshian along the Skeena River and surrounding its delta; the Haida on Haida Gwaii; the Tlingit along the coast north of Prince Rupert; the Nisga’a along the Nass River Valley and its delta; and the Tahltan along the Stikine River and further inland. The region houses many large rivers including the Nass, Skeena and Stikine.

Historically, the First Nations inhabiting the North Coast relied heavily on the ocean and rivers for food, transportation and trade. Forest resources were also consumed at a small and highly sustainable scale.

The onset of the colonial economy saw growth of the commercial fishing, logging and mining industries, which remain core components of the North Coast economy. The economy has diversified in recent years as a result of new capacity at the Port of Prince Rupert, major investments in the aluminum smelter in Kitimat and plans for liquefied natural gas plants and other large infrastructure projects. These projects are bringing jobs and new opportunities to the area, but much work is still required to ensure a) the projects are environmentally sustainable; and b) First Nations and other local stakeholders are benefitting from direct employment opportunities and indirect economic developments.

Commercial Fishing, Forestry, and mining continue to make up a large part of the Regional Economy.

Development Corporations— owned collectively by aligned Nations or by individual First Nations— are the primary vehicles by which First Nations pursue and advocate for Sustainable Economic Development

This movie was made in the summer of 2008 as part of the Haidawood Media Project. This is a traditional Haida story. While a hundred years ago all Haidas were fluent in the Haida language, today the number of speakers is down to no more than 3 or 4 dozen, and nearly all of those speakers are over the age of 70.  However, there is a strong interest among many younger Haidas to learn their ancestral language and to use it once again on a daily basis in their communities.

 

Gingolx Village Government

Language Group: Nisga’a

Reserve Land Area:2891 hectares

The Nisga’a Nation Village of Gingolx is nestled in the mountains of the beautiful Nass River

Gitanmaax

Language Group: Gitsenimx

Reserve Land Area:2377.8 hectares

The Gitanmaax Band is a band government of the Gitxsan people, based near the meeting of the Skeena and Bulkley Rivers, adjacent to the village of Hazelton

Gitanyow

Language Group: Gitsenimx

Reserve Land Area:850.4 hectares

Gitanyow is an First Nations community of the Gitxsan people, located on the Kitwanga River 8 km south of Kitwancool Lake

Gitlaxt’aamix Village Government (New Aiyansh)

Language Group: Nisga’a

Reserve Land Area:2062 hectares

Largest Nisga’a community and administrative capital of the Nisga’a Nation. It is located about 100km north of Terrace, in the heart of traditional Nisga’a territory, the Nass River Valley.

Gitsegukla

Language Group: Gitsenimx

Reserve Land Area:1930.5 hectares

Gitxsan community of about 500 at the confluence of the Kitseguecla and Skeena Rivers

Gitwangak

Language Group: Gitsenimx

Reserve Land Area:1571.9 hectares

They Gitwangak people are part of the larger Gitxsan Nation.

Gitwinksihlkw

Language Group: Nisga’a

Reserve Land Area:644.8 hectares

The Nisga’a Nation village of Gitwinksihlkw, formerly Canyon City, is located in the Nass River valley of northwestern British Columbia, Canada, near that river’s confluence with the Tseax River.

Gitxaala Nation

Language Group: Smalgyax

Reserve Land Area:1885.2 hectares

The Gitxaala Nation is a First Nations government located at Kitkatla. It is one of the longest continually inhabited communities in all of “Turtle Island” which is a traditional reference to all of North America. The ancestry of the people living here dates back to 10,000 years!

Glen Vowell

Language Group: Gitsenimx

Reserve Land Area:632.7 hectares.

Glen Vowell, also known as Sik-e-Dakh, is a community of the Gitxsan people in the Hazelton area of the Skeena Country. It is located on the west side of the Skeena River between Hazelton and Kispiox. It is a small but vibrant and resilient community.

Hagwilget Village

Language Group: Witsuwit’en

Reserve Land Area:158.6 hectares

Located at Hagwilget, British Columbia, Canada, which is just east of Hazelton, British Columbia.

Haisla Nation

Language Group: enaksialakala /a’’islakala

Reserve Land Area:726.1 hectares

Located at Kitamaat in the North Coast region of British Columbia.

Hartley Bay

Language Group: Smalgyax

Reserve Land Area:641.7 hectares

Hartley Bay, also known as the Gitga’at Nation, is a First Nations community on the coast of British Columbia. The village, which is accessable by boat, is located at the mouth of Douglas Channel, about 630 kilometres north of Vancouver.

Iskut

Language Group: TāƂtān

Iskut First Nation is a band government of the Tahltan people, located in the Stikine Country.

Kispiox

Language Group: Gitsenimx

Our rivers are known worldwide for their fishing. Based near the meeting of the Skeena and Bulkley Rivers in northwestern BC

Kitasoo

Language Group: Ski:xs

Located in Klemtu in the heart of BC’s Great Bear Rainforest.

Kitselas

Language Group: Smalgyax

The Kitselas or “People of the Canyon” is based at Gitaus in the Skeena Valley (near Kitselas, British Columbia, which is named for them).

Kitsumkalum

Language Group: Smalgyax

The Kitsumkalum are the People of the Robin, a galts’ap (community) of the Tsimshian Nation with traditional territory use in both coastal and inland areas.

Lax-kw’alaams

Language Group: Smalgyax

Lax-Kw’alaams, also known as Port Simpson, is an Indigenous village community in British Columbia, Canada, not far from the city of Prince Rupert.

Though patterns of land ownership and utilization did not accord with European legal notions, the Tsimshian were nonethless quite sophisticated.

Laxgalts’ap Village Government

Language Group: Nisga’a

The Nisga’a Nation Village of Laxgalts’ap is located in the Nass River valley in northwestern British Columbia. It is a small village that makes up part of the greater Nisga’a Nation.

Metlakatla

Language Group: Smalgyax

Metlakatla village is a progressive community, located 5km north of Prince Rupert, on an ancient site – occupied for thousands of years by the Metlakatla people.

Moricetown

Language Group: Witsuwit’en

The current village was built during the early 1900s but served as a Wet’su’wet’en fishing place for thousands of years.

Old Massett Village Council

Language Group: Xaad Kil / Xaaydaa Kil (Haida)

Old Massett Village Council (OMVC) is elected by its membership and performs the function of a village government in their Old Masset, located in the north of Haida Gwaii, off the coast of British Columbia near the Alaskan border.

The Haida House of Assembly, through the Haida Independence Project, approved the creation of the Haida Enterprise Corporation (HaiCo) as a National Corporation to manage, grow and govern the business enterprises of the Haida Nation with the goal of developing a sustainable economy on Haida Gwaii with two specific goals:
-Generate revenue to attain financial independence
-Improve the quality of life for the collective benefit of the Haida people

The Haida Enterprise Corporation owns four subsidiaries, interests currently in eco/cultural tourism, forestry, value-added wood manufacturing and seafood processing. These companies have won various awards including the Aboriginal Tourism Award, Aboriginal Business Award and BCAF Business of the Year.

Skidegate

Language Group: Xaad Kil / Xaaydaa Kil (Haida)

Skidegate Band Council (SBC) is elected by their membership and performs the function of a village government in Skidegate, the largest community in Haida Gwaii,

Tahltan

Language Group: TāƂtān

The Tahltan Band council is based in Dease Lake, approximately 6 hours north of Terrace by road.

References

Language

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