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Canyon Culture
Since 1967, when a total of
9 aboriginal petroglyphs were
documented on Ringbolt Island
and Dry Island in Kitselas Canyon,
near Terrace, there has been
a resurgence of interest in
the ancient Gitselasu culture
of the region. Teaching of the
traditional Tsmishian language,
Sm'algyax, is promoted by the
Kitselas-Kitsumkalum Language
Authority, and performances
of Gitselasu song and dance
have revived the feasting traditions
of the past.
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The Skeena's Tsimshian
Heritage
Although they share the cultural-lingual
umbrella of the Tsimshian - the "people
inside of the Skeena River"- four distinct
dialect groups have contributed to the rich
aboriginal history of northern British Columbia
and southern Alaska. They include:
• Northern Tsimshian (north of the
lower Skeena)
• Southern Tsimshian (south of the
lower Skeena)
• Gitskan (upper Skeena River)
• Nisga'a (in the basin of the Nass
River).
Together, these First Nations groups, neighbours
of the Alaskan Tlingit and the Queen Charlotte
Haida, represent one of the oldest continuous
cultures in North America. Midden sites
in the Prince Rupert area, at the mouth
of the Skeena, indicate that the beachfront
winter homes of small household groups were
well-established as many as 4,000 to 5,000
years ago. By 1500 B.C., larger populations,
sophisticated homes and highly stratified
social structures were part of the settlement
pattern.
Geographical Differences:
The people of the Skeena were distinguished
by language, climate, topography and resources.
While the coastal tribes turned to the seas
and saltwater estuaries for halibut, cod,
seaweed, seals, sea lions and sea otters,
the people of the rugged, mountainous interior
foraged for berries and hunted deer, bears
and mountain goats. In winter, the heavy
snowfalls and frozen waterways of the upper
river contrasted sharply with the mild,
wet climate of the coast.
Cultural Similarities:
Despite these differences, salmon was an
abundant resource and a common denominator
throughout the Skeena watershed. Reverence
and respect for the "salmon people,"
who provided the river's most precious gift,
was an enduring part of Tsimshian belief
and ritual. The Skeena River groups shared
many other cultural characteristics, including:
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Matrilineal lineage - Children traced
their ancestry through their mother's family.
Rights to fish, hunt and gather at specific
sites corresponded to maternal background.
• Clan structure
- Societies were organized into clans
(also known as "phratries" or "moieties"):
Eagle, Wolf, Frog, Killer Whale (coastal),
Fireweed (inland). They were further divided
into sub-clans and families, each with designated
crests and rights. Clans controlled the use
of salmon streams, halibut banks, berry patches,
inter-tidal regions and other resource-harvesting
sites.
• Ranked
social structure - Communities were
divided into well-defined classes, including
chief, nobles, commoners and slaves. Ranks
and titles conferred ceremonial and economic
positions of power. The highest ranking member
from the highest ranking clan was the village
leader. There was little movement of individuals
between ranks.
• Exogamous
marriage - Individuals married outside
their own clan, but within their own class.
• Longhouse Organization
- Permanent winter villages consisted of large
cedar plant dwellings accommodating several
related families.
• Potlatch
Ceremony - Ritual distribution of wealth,
feasting, dancing and storytelling accompanied
the announcement of a significant social event. |
| Powerful
and well-organized, the ancient peoples
of the Skeena were both feared warriors
and astute traders. Their vast network of
lucrative eulachon oil "grease trails"
extended far into the northwestern interior,
and their trade in furs and sophisticated
works of art pre-dated the arrival of the
Europeans.
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Wind Month
Sm'algyax, the language of the
Tsimshian peoples, reflects
the ancient seasonal rhythms
of a hunter-gatherer society.
Names for months of the year
include "Ha'lilaxsi'wah,"
Eulachon Month (March), ""Ha'lilaxsimisoo,"
Sockeye Month (July) and "Ha'lilaxsimaay,"
Blueberry Month (September).
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'Ksan Historical
Village
Although the Skeena River's most outstanding
cultural attraction can easily be reached
by car, river rafters who approach the site
by water will be rewarded with a panoramic
view of elaborately painted housefronts
and towering totem poles lining the riverbank
near Hazelton.
The 'Ksan Historical Village is located
at the junction of the Skeena and Bulkley
rivers near the ancient village of Gitanmaax.
The site faithfully recreates a traditional
Gitksan ("people of the river of mists")
community of the 1800's. Visitors can tour
authentic cedar plank communal houses, including
a Wolf Crest house prepared for a potlatch
feast, and a prehistoric Frog Crest house
displaying traditional activities. Several
totem poles, incorporating figures from
Gitskan clans and legends are clustered
in front of the buildings.
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Gitanmaax School of Northwest
Coast Art
The Gitksan Carving House, located
on the site of the 'Ksan Historical
Village near Hazelton, is home
to a four-year instruction program
that is dedicated to the renewal
and enrichment of northwest
coast art. The school has produced
artists of international renown,
including Master Carver Stan
Bevan, whose totem carving was
exhibited at Expo '92 in Seville,
Spain. |
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Masks, button blankets, fishing gear, hunting
and household utensils and a stunning display
of chief's and shaman's regalia - still
used for ceremonial occasions - are on display
in the 'Ksan Museum. The collection includes
artifacts from the Skeena Treasure House,
the original component of the 'Ksan Village.
Performers from the 'Ksan Village have
presented the traditional songs and dances
of the Gitskan potlatch ("Yukw")
around the world. Summertime visitors to
the Village can attend a stirring 'Ksan
performance in the Wolf house.
Tsimshian Treasures
Nurtured by an environment that provided
an abundance of food and natural resources,
the people of the Skeena developed many
sophisticated art forms. Decorative images
were based on family legends, animal forms
and supernatural beings.
In addition to the famous totem pole carvings
of the Tsimshian, several specialized arts
and crafts are identified with the culture
of the region: |
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• Cedar
Baskets, Clothing and Mats - Cedar
bark fibre, sometimes used in combination
with spruce-root fibre, was used by women
to make tightly-woven containers and waterproof
clothing. Cedar mats, often decorated with
red and black geometric designs, were placed
on longhouse walls as insulation, hung as
dividers between family units, or used for
cushioning and protection.
• Wooden
Masks and Rattles - Tsimshian masks,
headdresses, and frontlets, carved from wood,
painted, and sometimes trimmed with dried
grasses, shells and other natural materials,
played an important ceremonial role. Masks
were used to demonstrate rights to crests
and territories, and were passed on carefully
from one generation to the next. Round rattles,
carved with symbols, were used by shamans
to call forth spirit helpers, while "Raven
Rattles," often incorporating raven,
human, bird and frog figures, were used by
chiefs during potlatches and feasts.
•
Horn Spoons -
Ladles and spoons made from the horns of mountain
sheep and goats are highly-prized by the museums
of today. Horns were steamed, and fastened
into moulds to form bowls. Curved handles
were carved into animals or birds representing
family crests, with sheep and goat horns sometimes
combined to produce one spoon of contrasting
colour and material.
• Goat-Hair
Blankets: An abundance of mountain
goats along the Upper Skeena also led to the
development of the sturdy goat's wool and
cedar bark blanket. The blanket's design was
refined to a high art by the Chilkat tribe
of the Alaskan Tlingit.
• Bentwood
Boxes: Ingeniously designed, bentwood
boxes were made by bevelling a single plank
of cedar into four squares, steaming the plank
in a pit filled with hot rocks, then bending
it into a box shape and lashing it with cedar
root. After top and bottom pieces were fitted
in to make it watertight, the box was often
elaborately carved or painted.
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Button Blankets:
Popularized after European contact, wool or
duffle blankets were decorated with appliqués
of family crests, outlined with shells or
buttons. Today, buttons often fill entire
fields and sections of design. Button blankets
are often presented at contemporary Tsimshian
ceremonies. |
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