Village of Gitlaxdzawk
Three
meanings have been given for the name of Gitlaxdzawk. Ethnographer George
T. Emmons refers to it as 'people of the place where they steal canoe
bottom boards.' this could be a reference to the fact that the people
of Gitlaxdzawk along with Gitsaex operated a toll system in the Kitselas
Canyon. In this system, all foreign travellers marked their recognition
of the Gitselasu ownership of the canyon by providing payment to Gitselasu
chiefs in order to secure safe passage through the canyon, otherwise large
boulders would be thrown into the canoes of those who disregarded the
toll payment. Louis Allaire in Skeena River Prehistory refers to the village
meaning 'people of the ravine' and also the 'fortress.' These names refer
to the natural setting as the village is located on a promotory near a
ravine. the Gitselasu elder Paul Mason when interviewed in 1981 stated
that he believed the name Gitlaxdzawk meant the 'people of the place where
they steal canoe bottom boards.'
A total of the remains of ten houses have been located at Gitlaxdzawk. The village area covered 122 metres by 61 metres. The village was located on an island prior to railway construction as rock debris has formed a dry gully between the village site and the river bank. The site is still surrounded by water on three sides and the surrounding steep slopes makes access formidable. The village was located on top of a promontory providing a natural fortification. Also, it appears a fortified wall of timbers and logs was constructed providing greater protection from intruders.
The houses at Gitlaxdzawk were irregularly placed. Normally, Tsimshian houses are constructed in one or two rows facing the water. The general topography is the primary factor for designing the community that way. The discovery of at least 10 houses and estimating 30 residents per house would mean that the village population was around 300 people.
The
final identified phase began 250 years ago and is known as the Historic
Phase. This phase is only found at Gitlaxdzawk and Gitsaex, the two historic
villages at the canyon. While the effects of immigrant contact in the
Skeena Valley eventually led to the Gitselasu abandonment of Gitlaxdzawk
and Gitsaex, there were some positive consequences of immigrant settlement
for the Gitselasu, such as their activity in the waning fur trade, in
providing transportation services along the Skeena River and later in
their involvement in the commercial fishing sector along the coast. There
were also negative consequences of settlement including the high death
rates from smallpox that weakened their numbers, their no longer controlling
the movement of people and goods through the Kitselas Canyon and their
competition with settlers for the same resources such as fish, game, timber
and later jobs. All of these factors contributed to the Gitselasu abandoning
Gitlaxdzawk and Gitsaex some time between 1866 and 1879.