Haisla
The Haisla are an Indigenous people located along the Gardner Canal in British Columbia, with a population of approximately 2,023 as of 2024. Their culture is rooted in the Northwest Coast, characterized by a matrilineal social structure comprised of five clans, each with specific territorial rights. Traditionally, the Haisla relied heavily on fishing, while women gathered shellfish and berries. Key social ceremonies, such as the potlatch, played a vital role in wealth redistribution and status recognition.
Historically, the Haisla faced significant disruptions due to contact with European explorers and the subsequent arrival of missionaries in the 19th century, which led to cultural erosion and population decline from diseases. By the mid-20th century, many Haisla were engaged in fishing and logging, later transitioning to work in aluminum smelting as technology advanced. In recent years, the Haisla Nation has shifted towards economic development through liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, including the innovative Cedar LNG project, which aims to be the first Indigenous majority-owned floating LNG facility.
The Haisla are also committed to cultural preservation, exemplified by the successful repatriation of a significant totem pole in 2006. Today, they continue to provide essential services to their community, focusing on housing, education, and cultural initiatives.
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Subject Terms
Haisla
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Northwest Coast
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Wakashan
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Gardner Canal, British Columbia coast
- POPULATION SIZE: 2,023 (Haisla Nation, 2024); 1,990 (Government of Canada, 2021)
The Haisla's technology and annual migration pattern reflected their dependence upon fish. Women gathered shellfish and various types of berries and fruits. The basic social units were five matrilineal exogamous clans, each with territorial rights; they formed alliances for ceremonial purposes. Haisla society was ranked into nobles, commoners, and enslaved people. Numerous ceremonies existed; the potlatch was important for redistributing traditional wealth and recognizing status change.
Contact was made by Juan Zayas in 1792 and again the following year by Joseph Whidbey of the expedition of George Vancouver. Several decades later, Hudson’s Bay Company established a fur-trading post at Fort McLoughlin in 1833 near Dean Channel. The breakdown of traditional culture began to occur after the arrival of Christian missionaries in 1833. The government banning of potlatches and dancing societies brought further breakdown of Haisla culture. In 1916, the Haisla had fourteen reserves with 1,432 allotted acres. Two years later, an influenza outbreak significantly reduced the population, completely decimating two of the Haisla's clans. By the mid-twentieth century, many Haisla were working in the fishing and logging industries, but by the 1970s, a shift had occurred, and working in aluminum smelting had become the primary source of income. With the advent of computerized machinery in the 1990s, however, the Haisla community became increasingly marginalized and replaced by mechanization. Haisla community members participated in a six-month job readiness program designed to teach workers basic skills to compete for jobs in the smelter and beyond.
Most Haisla reside in Kitamaat Village, along the northern coast of British Columbia, at the head of the Douglas Channel. In the early 2000s, the Haisla governing council was approached regarding the potential for building several liquified natural gas (LNG) facilities along the Douglas Channel. Various LNG terminals and plants have been operating since 2010, with the Haisla Nation benefiting. Proposed LNG pipelines would bring additional economic and social benefits to the community.
The Haisla made international headlines in 2006 when a totem pole was returned after over sixty years. The pole had been removed from the Haisla Nation in 1929 and had been on display in a museum in Stockholm, Sweden. The Haisla negotiated with the Swedish government over many years to have the item returned. A replica of the pole was given to the museum in Stockholm. The Haisla First Nations people continued their economic development in the twenty-first century through LNG facilities. In June 2024, the nation announced its participation in the Cedar LNG project, in partnership with Pembina Pipeline Corporation, to create the first Indigenous majority-owned, hydropower, floating LNG facility. The Haisla Nation also continued to provide services to its members, including housing projects, educational opportunities, and cultural preservation.
Bibliography.
"Cedar LNG Announces Positive Final Investment Decision." Pembina, 25 June 2024, www.pembina.com/media-centre/news/details/1ef316a9-bdaa-44cc-93f0-06f6e4583a5a. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
"Haisla First Nation (Kitimaat Village Council)." Government of British Columbia, 7 May 2024, www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/consulting-with-first-nations/first-nations-negotiations/first-nations-a-z-listing/haisla-first-nation-kitimaat-village-council. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
"Haisla & Our History." Haisla Nation, haisla.ca/community/haisla-our-history. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
"Kitamaat Village, Kitimat Arm." CoastView Science, 19 Nov. 2022, coastview.org/2022/11/19/kitimaat-village-kitimat-arm/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
Pedersen, Anne-Marie, and John Pritchard. "Haisla (Kitamaat)." The Canadian Encyclopedia, 19 Nov. 2021, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/haisla-kitamaat. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
Young, John F. "Northern British Columbia: What's in a Place?" Resource Communities in a Globalizing Region: Development, Agency, and Contestation in Northern British Columbia. Paul Bowles and Gary N. Wilson, editors, UBC, 2016. 39–55.