Tsimshian
The Tsimshian are an Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast, with archaeological evidence indicating their presence in the Skeena River area for over five thousand years. They are divided into three main groups: Tsimshian proper, Niska (Nishga), and Gitksan, each speaking a distinct dialect. Traditionally, the Tsimshian relied on a rich variety of land and sea resources, with salmon and eulachon (candlefish) being central to their diet and economy, particularly in the lucrative grease trade. Their social structure includes four phratries: Eagle, Wolf, Raven, and Killer Whale, organized matrilineally and governed by complex customs and ceremonial practices, including potlatches.
Tsimshian communities were characterized by large cedar houses used for both living and ceremonial activities, while they navigated their territories using canoes. Contact with European traders in the late 1700s led to significant changes, including the establishment of reserves by the Canadian government in 1871, which often disregarded traditional land rights. A distinct group of Tsimshians also resides in Alaska's New Metlakatla, founded in 1862, retaining many traditional practices. In contemporary times, Tsimshian bands are actively engaged in treaty negotiations with the Canadian government to address historical grievances and assert their rights.
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Tsimshian
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Northwest Coast
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Tsimshian
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Northwestern British Columbia, southeastern Alaska
- POPULATION SIZE: 5,910 in Canada (2023 Statistics Canada); 2,159 in US (2021: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates American Indian and Alaska Native Detailed Tables: Tsimshian Alone)
Archaeological evidence suggests a Tsimshian residency of some five thousand years in the area. There are three major divisions: Tsimshian proper (which have been separated into the Southern Coast and Tsimshian), Nisga'a, and Gitksan. Each speaks a different dialect. Tsimshian derives from emsyan (“inside the Skeena River”).
The Tsimshian subsisted on a variety of land and sea animals as well as plants that were gathered seasonally. Salmon was the most important food source. Eulachon, or candlefish, were particularly important for their oil or grease. The Tsimshian had a virtual monopoly on candlefish and the grease trade and became very wealthy as a result. The Tsimshian transported themselves between areas primarily in canoes.
The Tsimshian lived in fishing villages and camps in the spring and summer and in large houses made from red cedar in the winter. A chief’s house might measure 50 by 30 feet. The chief and his family lived in several cubicles at the rear of the house. Other families of lesser status occupied the side walls. The houses were also used for dances during the winter ceremonial season.
The Tsimshian were divided into four phratries (tribal subdivisions, comprising several clans): Eagle, Wolf, Raven, and Killer Whale. Membership in a phratry was matrilineal, and marriage outside the phratry was prohibited. Each phratry controlled a defined territory. Social order and customs were maintained through elaborate ceremonial feasts and potlatches.
The readily available and plentiful sources of sustenance allowed the Tsimshian time to devote to other activities. The Tsimshian became expert artisans and are especially well known for their intricate totem poles. Copper was the highest symbol of wealth, and the Tsimshian hammered native copper for their chief into beautiful ceremonial shields.
In the late eighteenth century, the Tsimshian traded extensively with Europeans and Americans, and many moved to trading posts, where they built settlements. Contact with the outside world was intensified by the discovery of gold in 1867 and the building of a railroad. In 1871, the Canadian government assumed responsibility for the Tsimshian. Reserves were created at traditional sites, and allocations were unilaterally imposed by the government. The effects of missionization were also felt, and Tsimshian villages became a hybrid mixture of English and Indigenous custom and tradition. The Tsimshian have actively resisted government controls and usurpation of their Indigenous lands.
An entirely separate community of about thirteen hundred Tsimshian members resides on Annette Island in Alaska in a community known as New Metlakatla. These are the descendants of the original fifty Tsimshian whom a missionary named William Duncan moved to Metlakatla in 1862. The colony moved to Alaska in 1887 after a disagreement with church authorities. It retains much of its traditional values even today. In the twenty-first century, multiple Tsimshian bands united under a treaty council called Tsimshian First Nations are engaged in ongoing treaty negotiations with the Canadian government to settle outstanding Indigenous rights issues.
Bibliography
"About Us." Tsimshian First Nations Treaty Society, www.tfntreaty.ca/about-us.html. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.
Miller, Jay. Tsimshian Culture: A Light through the Ages. University of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Miller, Jay. "Tsimshian Ethno-Ethnohistory: A 'Real' Indigenous Chronology." Ethnohistory, vol. 45, no. 4, 1998, pp. 657–74.
Powell, J. V., and Michelle Filice. "Ts'msyen (Tsimshian)." The Canadian Encyclopedia, 4 Apr. 2023, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tsimshian. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.
Pritzker, Barry M. A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. Oxford University Press, 2000.
“Tsimshian History.” Beautiful British Columbia, 27 July 2018, beautifulbritishcolumbia.net/2018/07/27/tsimshian-history. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.