Nisga'a
The Nisga'a or Nisg̱a'a , formerly also often written as Nishga , is a first nation in the historic Pacific Northwest in the northwest of the Canadian province of British Columbia . Their tribal area was north and in the valley of the middle Nass River downstream to its mouth in the wet Bay, a side bay of Portland Inlet , through the Strait Dixon Entrance to the Pacific is connected.
They call themselves "Gat" ("People") or "Aluugigat" ("Public People") and the Nass River Valley as K'alii Aksim Lisims (from K'alii-aks - "River" and Lisims - "Nass River") or simply Lisims ("Nass River"). That is why they sometimes call themselves “Nisga A Hli Luugadin K Aliiaksim Lisims” (“People on the Nass River”).
Surname
Today's tribal name Nisga'a is a loan word from the Tongass Tlingit dialect of the hostile Tongass Tlingit and means "people along the Nass River". Possibly, however, this derives from two nisga'a words - "Nisk '" (upper lip) and "Tl'ak'" (lower lip) - which should indicate the abundant food supply of the Nass River, so that many tribes and animals came to the river to eat from it.
In the past, the Nisga'a ("people along the Nass River") together with the linguistically and culturally closely related Gitxsan ("people from the Fog River ", i.e. from the Skeena River ) in the east and south and the Tsimshian ("people in the middle of the Skeena River ") On the Pacific coast in the south with the collective term" Tsimshian ". Since the Nisga'a and especially the Gitxsan had no direct access to the Pacific and lived inland, they were called the Interior or Inland Tsimshian (inland Tsimshian). The Tsimshian in the mouth of the Skeena River as well as on the offshore islands, however, were called Coast Tsimshian (coastal Tsimshian). Despite their inland location, the Nisga'a and Gitxsan are part of the northwest coast culture . According to their self-image, however, the three peoples are independent ethnic groups.
Language and culture
language
Together with the Tsimshian (Ts'msyan) ("people in the middle of the Skeena River") and Gitxsan (Gitskan) ("people from the Fog River, ie from the Skeena River") speak the Nisga'a (Nisg̱a'a) ("People along the Nass River ”) one of the four varieties of the Tsimshian (Tsmksian) languages that are now generally counted as part of the Penuti language family ; Within the Penuti, the Tsimshian languages, together with the Chinook (Tsinúk) languages of the various Chinook groups, are also referred to as Maritime Penuti or Coastal Penuti .
Their language, the Nisga'a (Nisg̱a'amḵ or Nisga'a Ts'amiks) (outdated: wet), is often used by linguists together with the Gitxsanimaax (depending on the dialect: Gitxsanimax̱ or Gitsenimx̱) of Gitxsan as a language that Nass – Gitksan (also: Interior Tsimshian or Inland Tsimshian, dt. Inner Tsimshian), considered and the two varieties only viewed as respective dialects of Nass-Gitksan - since both tribal groups regard themselves as linguistically and culturally closely related, but politically independent ethnic groups , the two varieties are now considered to be two closely related indigenous languages.
With around 610 (2011) speakers, Nisg̱a'amḵ (Nisga'a Ts'amiks) is one of the severely endangered languages , since mostly only the grandparents' generation can speak it as their mother tongue and the following generations usually the dominant one Speak Canadian English , some older people speak the somewhat more difficult to understand Coast Tsimshian (Sm'algyax) (referred to by the Nisga'a as Ts'imsanimḵ - "language of the Tsimshian") of the Tsimshian (Ts'msyan); In addition, over 900 Gitxsan use their language as a second language , so that around 1,500 people speak it fluently today.
Political and social organization
The strongly hierarchized and matrilineal society of the Nisga'a (as well as that of the Gitxsan and Tsimshian) was divided into exogamous wilps (house groups), which consisted of one or more closely related families, each of which traced their descent to a parent mother via a maternal line ( Matri-Lineage ). The Wilps, which can comprise between 20 and more than 250 people, have their own Lax'yip or Ango'oskw (traditional hereditary settlement areas with hunting and fishing grounds as well as collecting points for berries and roots). Therefore they are the social, economic and political basis of society. The tribal territory of the Nisga'a was once divided into 40 Ango'oskw , whose resources were claimed and used by 60 Huwilp (plural of Wilp , read: several related house groups). If an unrelated Wilp wanted to use this, she had to ask for permission. Wilps were led by hereditary Simgigat (plural of Sim'oogit , male chiefs or "House Chiefs") or Sigidim Haanak ' (plural of Sigidimnaḵ' , female chiefs or "House Chiefs") who were led by K'aax (sub-chiefs or so-called. wing chiefs ) advise (similar to the hereditary Simgiigyet (male chiefs) or Sigidimhanak (female chiefs) of the Gitxsan).
Several related Wilps or a Huwilp each belonged to one of the four matrilineal traditional Nisga'a P'deek (tribes or clans), which in turn are divided into two major lineages of closely related families, each defined by their own Adaawaḵ (tradition and family histories) and delimited. These traditional and traditional stories were told using pts'aan ( totem poles ) that the individual families erected:
-
Laxgibuu or Lax̱gibuu ( wolf clan or tribe) - identical to the Laxgibuu / Laxgyibuu (wolf clan) of the Tsimshian or the Lax Gibuu (wolf clan) of the Gitxsan
- Laxgibuu (wolf clan) identifies with Gibuu / Laxgibuu (wolf), who inhabits the heights and slopes of the mountains, is seen as a teacher of the ancestors who taught them which animals are edible, and today still as a teacher for structuring oneself Life is viewed.
- Gisḵ'ansnaat (grizzly clan) identifies with Likin̓skw ( grizzly )
-
Ganhada or G̱anada (common raven clan / tribe) - identical with the G̱anhada / G̱a̱nhada (common raven clan) of the Tsimshian and the Lax See'l (common raven lan) or Lax Ganeda / Ganada ( frog clan) of the Gitxsan
- Ganhada / G̱anada (raven clan) identifies with G̱aaḵ / Ganhada (raven), who is seen as the “keeper and bearer of both good and bad knowledge”, who point the way, the presence of animals or imminent danger, and death can show, by delivering good news he also provides cheer and encouragement.
- another clan identifies with G̱anaaw̓ / Ganaaw (frog); since it inhabits lakes and ponds, it is associated with weather, change / renewal as well as abundance and abundance.
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Gispwudwada or Gisḵ'aast ( killer whale clan / tribe) - identical to the Gispwudwada / Gisbutwada (killer whale clan) of the Tsimshian or the Gisgaast / Giskaast ( narrow-leaved willowherb (Firewood) clan) of the Gitxsan
- Gispwudwada / Gisḵ'aast (killer whale clan) identifies with Gisk'aast / N̓eeḵhl (killer whale) showed the ancestors which seafood was edible, and through transformation it also represents “ breath ” and “ life ”, symbolized by the hole in the Fin (dorsal fin) and the sound it causes.
- Another clan identifies with K'utk'unukws (owl), who transmitted the other symbols of the killer whale to the people, as they always keep watch over the Lax-siilda (sea waters).
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Laxsgiik or Lax̱sgiik ( bald eagle clan / tribe) - identical to the La̱xsgiik / La̱xsgyiik (bald eagle clan) of the Tsimshian or the Lax Skiik (bald eagle clan) of the western Gitxsan Wilps
- Laxsgiik / Lax̱sgiik (Bald Eagle Clan) identifies with Laxsgiik / X̱sgaak (Bald Eagle), who claims authority over all salmon spawning grounds , his feathers are considered sacred and he himself is seen as a supernatural and powerful being. With his enormous eyesight he can see everything in his environment and everything that includes it. Therefore, he is considered a visionary.
- Lax̱ts'imilx ( beaver clan) identifies with Ts'imilx (beaver)
Since, as already mentioned above, the Nisga'a (as well as the Gitxsan / Gitanyow and Tsimshian) were divided into exogamous and matrilineal Wilps (house groups), Lineages (family groups), Huwilps (tribes) and cross-tribes P'deek (clans), the children automatically belonged to the Wilp (house group) and the mother's P'deek (clan); belonged to B. the father of the Gispwudwada / Gisḵ'aast (orca clan) and the mother of the Laxgibuu (wolf clan), their children also belonged to the Laxgibuu (wolf clan). If the father belonged to the Nisga'a and the mother originally came from another tribe, the children here also belonged to the P'deek (clan) and tribe of the mother - and not to the Nisga'a.
Since the Nisga'a believed that every P'deek (clan) traced back to a common ancestor, their marriage rules did not allow marriages within the same P'deek. As a result, they were forced to look for their future spouses outside of their own p'deek within their Huwilp (tribe) or among neighboring peoples also organized in matrilineal clans - Tsimshian , Gitxsan , Tlingit , Haida , Wet'suwet'en , Babine or Dakelh so that these mutual exogamous marriages became the basis of extensive alliances between different peoples. For the tribes it was not the linguistic or ethnic origin that was important, but the affiliation to the mother's p'deek. Since all tribes believed that the clans were related to one another, they could rely on help from clan members from neighboring tribes in times of need or war. So considered z. B. the members of the Laxgibuu of the Nisga'a the tribe members of the Lax Gibuu of the Gitxsan / Gitanyow, the Laxgibuu of the Tsimshian, the Ch'aak '/ Gooch naa the Tlingit, the Kaadaas gaah Kiiguwaay the Haida, the Gitdumden the Wet'suwet' en, the CheYonne der Tahltan (Eastern Tsetsaut) as well as the wolf clan of the Tsetsaut (Western Tsetsaut) and Lax̱wiiyip (Portland Inlet Athabascans or Stikine Tahltan) as blood relatives with a common ancestor.
Previously, the Nisga'a were politically organized as bands or First Nations vis-à-vis the Canadian government . However, after the conclusion of the Nisga'a Treaty, the four merged to form the Nisga'a Nation , which is largely self-governing.
Volcanic explosion and destruction of the villages
Around 1760, one of the last volcanic eruptions occurred in Canada. The lava flows destroyed two villages and killed several thousand people. The Anhluut'ukwsim Laxmihl Angwinga'asanskwhl Nisga'a Provincial Park (formerly Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park), which extends over 179 km², commemorates this catastrophe . According to the Nisga'a, the destruction was caused by disrespect for nature. Gwaxts'agat, a supernatural being, came from the mountains to stop the lava flow with the strong winds coming out of his nose.
Immigration waves, fight against raids
The Nisga'a are traced back to several waves of immigration from the northwest. The valley of the Nass River offered ample opportunities for hunting and collecting and was probably relatively densely populated early on. Some of these groups of looters stayed and developed relationships with each other over the generations.
The confluence of the Nass River on the Pacific coast also offered Haida and Tsimshian an attractive gateway into the hinterland. The westernmost settlement of the Nisga'a, Ging̱olx̱, remained mostly uninhabited. However, the Nisga'a succeeded in killing a Haida group in battle and hung their scalps on stakes as a deterrent. Accordingly, Ging̱olx means nothing more than “place of the scalps”.
Israel Sgat'iin, defense of fish rights in the water
The most important chief is Israel Sgat'iin, who was the only nisga'a allowed to adorn himself with a grizzly fur.
In the 1860s, the Nisga'a defended their fishing rights in the Nass River against the neighboring Tsimshian. The British gunboat Sparrowhawk was dispatched and forced a peace treaty that was signed under the name Sparrow Hawk Treaty.
The Nisga'a Treaty
One of the most prominent advocates of the land rights of the tribe was Frank Arthur Calder (1915-2006), who in 1949 became the first Indian to enter a Canadian parliament. He sat in front of the Supreme Court in the Calder vs. British Columbia through the fundamental recognition of Indian land rights. This was done in recognition of the Royal Proclamation of 1763.
On May 11, 2000, the Nisga'a became the first tribe to sign a land rights treaty with the provincial government of British Columbia and the government of Canada. Around 2,000 km² of land were recognized as the area of the tribe. For this purpose, a water protection area and Bear Glacier Provincial Park were created.
Current situation
Nisga'a Nation
According to the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development , the Nisga'a now number almost 6,000 tribe members today (as of April 2014), and their four larger settlements - which are inhabited by around 2,000 Nisga'a - until recently were part of the Nisga 'A Tribal Council towards the Canadian government when four separate bands / First Nations with associated reservations were politically organized.
Since the conclusion of the Nisga'a treaty, the four settlements have been jointly represented by the Nisga'a nation. The government of the Nisga'a Nation consists of the Nisga'a Lisims Government (NLG) (for the whole nation), the four regional Nisga'a Village Governments (one each for a settlement) and the six representatives of the three urban centers ( two each for Vancouver, Terrace and Prince Rupert / Port Edward), who represent the interests of Nisga'a outside the tribal territory of the Nisga'a Nation.
The government consists of the Wilp Si'Ayuukhl Nisga'a (WSN) ( legislature , 36 members) and the Nisga'a Lisims Government Executive ( executive ) - the Council of Elders (council of elders - consisting of "Simgigat" and " Sigidim Haanak '”) - and is based in Nisga's Lisims Government Building in Gitlax̱t'aamiks, the so-called capital of the Nisga'a.
Nisga'a Village Governments
- Gitlax̱t'aamiks or Nisga'a Village of New Aiyansh (also: Gitlaxt'aamiks, older spelling: Gitlakdamix - "people along the ponds or water basins", formerly: New Aiyansh, capital of the Nisga'a nation, is 97 km northwest of Terrace , Population: 1,837, of which 869 within the settlement)
- Gitwinksihlkw or Nisga'a Village of Gitwinksihlkw (older spelling: Kitwilluchsilt - "People of the lizards , iepeople whoeat lizards", formerly: Canyon City, lies on the north bank of the Nass River, approx. 100 km northwest of Terrace, population: 398, of which 186 within the settlement)
- Lax̱g̱alts'ap or Nisga'a Village of Laxgalt'sap (also: Laxqalts'ap, older spelling: Lachkaltsap - "Village / place built on several previous settlements", formerly: Greenville, lies in the estuary of the Nass River, approx. 150 km north of Terrace, population: 1,764, of which 576 within the settlement)
- Ging̱olx or Nisga'a Village of Gingolx ("place of the scalps ", older spelling: Kincolith, is located on the northwest coast of British Columbia on Portland Inlet, approx. 170 km northwest of Terrace, population: 1,980, of which 403 within the settlement)
In spring 2011, the Nisga'a Museum & Cultural Center ( Hli Goothl Wilp-Adokshl Nisga'a - "the heart of Nisga'a House crests") opened in Laxgalts'ap, which houses around 300 exhibits. In addition to scientific and exhibition purposes, this cultural center serves to promote tourism. The lava park has also been made accessible for this purpose.
Urban centers of the Nisga'a
Outside the tribal territories of the Nisga'a Nation, the majority of the tribesmen today mostly live in three urban centers: Vancouver , Prince Rupert and Terrace ; the three centers are each represented by two representatives in the Wilp Si'Ayuukhl Nisga'a - the government of all Nisga'a.
Nisga'a Ts'amiks Vancouver Society
The Nisga'a Ts'amiks Vancouver Society was incorporated on November 27, and its administrative headquarters are in East Vancouver . It represents slightly more than 1,400 Nisga'a to the Nisga'a Nation, most of which are located in the Lower Mainland , Greater Victoria (also: Greater Victoria Regio, which includes the Capital Regional District and Victoria ) and the Regional District of Nanaimo . However, the administered area extends from the city of Williams Lake north of Vancouver south to the United States and from the Prairie Province of Alberta in the east to the Pacific (including Vancouver Island ) in the far west.
Gitmaxmakay Nisga'a Society
The Gitmaxmakay Nisga'a Society represents politically towards the Nisga'a Nation about 1500 tribal members who live around the cities of Prince Rupert and the District of Port Edward .
Terrace Nisga'a Society
The Terrace Nisga'a Society (TNS), with its administrative headquarters in the city of Terrace, represents politically towards the Nisga'a Nation those tribal members in northern British Columbia who live within or in the vicinity of the sister cities Terrace and Thornhill on the Skeena River to the surrounding area the town of Williams Lake.
See also
literature
- Jonathan R. Dean: The 1811 Nass River Incident: Images of First Conflict on the Intercultural Frontier , in: Canadian Journal of Native Studies 13/1 (1993) 83-103
- Stephen A. McNeary: Where Fire Came Down: Social and Economic Life of the Niska , dissertation at Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania 1976
- E. Palmer Patterson: Mission on the Nass: The Evangelization of the Nishga (1860-1890) , Waterloo, Ontario: Eulachon Press 1982
- Daniel Raunet: Without Surrender, without Consent: A History of the Nisga'a Land Claims , revised edition, Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre 1996
- Alex Rose: Spirit Dance at Meziadin: Chief Joseph Gosnell and the Nisga'a Treaty , Madeira Park: Harbor Publishing 2000
Web links
- Nisga'a Lisim's Government
- Map of the tribal area
- Nisga'a Final Agreement and Background Information
- Site of the village of Gingolx
- The Ts'amiks Society in Vancouver
- Nass River Indians Movie, Canadianfilm
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Andrew Robinson: Nihl Adagwiy T'gun Adaawaks GalksiGabin (Here Is the Story of GalksiGabin): A Modern Auto-Ethnography of a Nisga'a Man . 1999 ( PDF [accessed on May 29, 2016] Master's thesis). PDF ( Memento of the original from May 29, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Totem Pole Websites. In: Cathedral Grove. Retrieved May 29, 2016 .
- ↑ Wordvia - Nass River ( Memento from April 29, 2014 in the web archive archive.today )
- ^ First Voices - Nisga'a language
- ↑ further variants: Nass, Nisgha, Nisg̱a'a, Nishka, Niska, Nishga, Nisqa'a, also sometimes referred to as Sim'algax - "True Language"
- ↑ further variants: Giklsan, Gitksan, Gityskyan
- ^ Wright 2002, cited by Burton 2012
- ^ Nisga'a Lisims Government - Nisga'a Nation
- ^ First Voices - Nisga'a words
- ↑ The peoples of the Wet'suwet'en, Babine and Dakelh, who belong to the northern Athapasques, took over the clan system of the neighboring Tsimshian-speaking groups and were also divided into several clans, Wet'suwet'en: Gilseyhu (Big Frog Clan), Laksilyu (Little Frog Clan), Gitdumden (Wolf / Bear Clan), Laksamshu (Fireweed Clan), Tsayu (Beaver Clan), Babine: Likh c'ibu (Bear Clan), Likh tsa mis xu (Beaver Clan ), Jilh tsekh xu (frog clan) and Gilanton (caribou clan) as well as Dakelh: Likh ji bu (bear clan), Gilhanten (caribou clan), Jihl tse yu (frog clan) and Likh sta Mis yu ( Beaver clan).
- ^ Tahltan Clans ( Memento from June 11, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ The indigenous clan names of the Tsetsaut and Lax̱wiiyip are unfortunately not passed down
- ↑ A photo of the chief can be found in the British Columbia Archives: catalog number HP087678 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Nisga'a Tribal Council. Annual Convention Book, New Ayansh 1991, p. 146.
- ↑ Here is the decision of the Supreme Court of January 31, 1973: [1] .
- ^ Nisga'a Lisims Government - Building the government of the Nisga'a
- ^ Nisga'a Ts'amiks Vancouver Society
- ↑ Gitmaxmak'ay Nisga'a Society
- ^ Terrace Nisga'a Society
