Gitga'at

"We shall not consider or accept any offer from any one until our claim is settle by Justice. Our prayer is that our Title for our lands and unsurrendered lands be made clearer, recognized and acknowledged to us by both the Dominion and Provincial Governments, that is the vital point of our request or claim."

Giga'at Chiefs, 1913

Kitsumkalum

"The Kitsumkalum are just like any other tribes - they have been bleeding day and night just on account of the way we have been treated and handled - why can't we handle out land ourselves while men on the other side of the work they are handling our land for us. Another thing the Government employ people to go about the reserves and pay them high salaries - constables and Indian Agents - all the money that they are paid which comes out of our land money and they get fat on it, but we who own the land get slim, and so slim sometimes that we cannot work while these people they get "swelled up."
Charles Nelson (Xpilaxha) Kitsumkalum Elder, September 1915

Kitselas

The Land on which we used to get our living it is gone, where we used to go hunting it is gone, where we used to pick berries it is gone, and why - because the government just simply took it away without saying a word. If the white men would fight us like they are doing in Germany today, it would be all right, but they don't - the Government stepped in and without paying us a cent took all out land away and we now see that we have been badly treated. The Indian people we believe what the Government said when the Government men says "this is your reserve, and no one else" but when we start to make a little money, perhaps selling timber or fish, why at once the same Government come upon us and put us in jail and we have to sit down and cry because we can not dispose of anything on these reserves without being put in jail.

Tsimshian Territory!! Super Natural North!! Both terms are synonymous to the beauty of the mountains, hills, rivers, streams, and valleys that characterize our Kitselas Territory. The traditional territories of the Kitselas include the west boundary at Fiddler Creek, the east boundary at Gitnadoix River, north boundary at Sand Lake (boundary of Nisga'a First Nations territory), south boundary Kitimat River (boundary of Haisla First Nations territory). The Kitselas territory covers an area of 647,000 hectares or 6,470 square kilometers (Kitselas First Nation Bioregional Resource Atlas Map 01: Location in British Columbia).

Nestled in the beautiful valley of the Skeena, the Kitselas territory, with the Reserve communities, enjoy the natural resources of food harvesting, material harvesting, and recreation. The climate is favorably drier than the normal weather conditions of Prince Rupert or Kitimat. The annual rainfall is approximately 52 inches, roughly half that of Prince Rupert and Kitimat (Kirby 1984:16).

The history of Kitselas dates back to "time immemorial". Some remnants and residuum discovered through Archaeological research and excavations at the Kitselas Canyon have been carbon-dated to 5,000+ years (Coupland 1984:14) , thus confirming occupancy of the Kitselas Canyon area for at least that many years. Although trails were used frequently, the Skeena River was the major route of transportation, especially for commerce and trading.

Kitselas is presently governed by Ottawa and Kitselas Band Council. As of this date, January 22, 2008, the Chief and Councillors are: Chief Councillor Glenn Bennett, Councillors Judy Gerow, Wilfred Bennett, Ken McDames, Gerald Seymour, Shirley Gray.

The language used in the Kitselas Nation is Tsimshian (symalgyax). The coastal and inland dialects of the language differed only in the use of a few words. There are four main clans. Everyone in the Tsimshian First Nation belong to one of the Clans or sub-clan. They are:

The agricultural lands are rated very high (Kirby 1984:16), with a long growing season, and suitable for a wide range of garden crops, fruit orchards, berry fruits. The area is wholly suitable for many types of farming, such as: dairy, poultry, hay, fruit, etc.

The activities of hunting for moose, deer, black bear, mountain goat, snowshoe rabbits, red squirrels; and fishing for sockeye, spring, pink, coho, chum, chinook salmon, and rainbow (steelhead), dolly varden, cutthrout trout are the primary the mainstay of our food harvesting. Game birds such as ruffled, spruce, and blue grouse; canada geese; mallard ducks, are also hunted in the fall and winter months. Trapping and snaring beaver and snowshoe rabbits are also a means of supplying food for Kitselas people.

The historical use of the forest by the Tsimshian include the construction of canoes, longhouses, totempoles, wood-crafting, basketry, cooking utensils, and clothing. Utilized were the red and yellow cedar, sitka spruce, hemlock, maple, birch, alder, fir, yew, cottonwood trees.

Forest plants gathered mainly for medicine and food purposes include:
devil's club, fireweed, lichen, mushrooms, liquorice, pacific silverweed, rice-root, springbank clover, wild onions, cinquefoil, common juniper, copperbush, cow parsnip, indian helebore, labrador tea, lupine, skunk cabbage, sylvan goat's beard, wildrose (McDonald 1998:3)

The berry species gathered for medicine and food purposes inlcude:
black hawthorn, blueberry (bog, oval-leafed), bunchberry, cloud, crabapple, cranberry (bog, high and low bush), crowberry, black and red currant, elderberry, black gooseberry, hazelnut, huckleberry, lily of the valley, raspberry, soapberry, salal, saskatoon, strawberry, thimbleberry (McDonald 1998:3)

The resource of the Skeena River and tributaries flowing into it is primarily fishing. Sockeye and spring salmon are the preferred fish species. Other fish species, such as:

Presently, the Kitselas Membership is five hundred twelve (512) persons. The Kitselas Territory is comprised of seven Reservations, three of which are occupied:

More Topics and Concerns:
Frequently Asked Questions
The Treaty Process
The Ability to Govern