Mythologies of the Ts'msyen (Tsimshian) Tribe
The Tsimshian (/ˈsɪmʃiən/; Tsimshian: Ts’msyan or Tsm'syen) are an Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace and Prince Rupert, and Metlakatla, Alaska on Annette Island, the only reservation in Alaska. The Tsimshian estimate there are 45,000 Tsimshian people and approximately 10,000 members are federally registered in eight First Nations communities (including the Kitselas, Kitsumkalum, Gitxaala, Gitga'at at Hartley Bay, and Kitasoo at Klemtu) Lax Kw'Alaams, and Metlakatla, BC. The latter two communities resulted in the colonial intersections of early settlers and consist of Tsimshian people belonging to the 'nine tribes.' The Tsimshian are one of the largest First Nations peoples in northwest British Columbia. Some Tsimshian migrated to the Annette Islands in Alaska, and today approximately 1,450 Alaska Tsimshian people are enrolled in the federally recognized Metlakatla Indian Community, sometimes also called the Annette Island Reserve. The Tsimshian honor the traditional Tlingit name of Taquan for this recent location. Tsimshian society is matrilineal kinship-based, which means identity, clans and property pass through the maternal line. Their moiety-based societal structure is further divided into sub clans for certain lineages. The Tsimshian language has some 27 different terms for 'chief' likely because it is a stratified and ranked society. Early Euro-Canadian anthropologists and linguists had classified the Gitxsan and Nisga'a as Tsimshian, because of apparent linguistic affinities. The three were all referred to as "Coast Tsimshian", even though some communities were not coastal. These three groups, however, are separate nations.
The Tsimshianic languages are a family of languages spoken in northwestern British Columbia and in Southeast Alaska on Annette Island and Ketchikan. All Tsimshianic languages are endangered, some with only around 400 speakers. Only around 2,170 people of the ethnic Tsimshian /ˈsɪmʃiən/ population in Canada still speak a Tsimshian language about 50 of the 1,300 Tsimshian people living in Alaska still speak Coast Tsimshian. Tsimshianic languages are considered by most linguists to be an independent language family, with four main languages: Coast Tsimshian, Southern Tsimshian, Nisg̱a’a, and Gitksan. The Tsimshianic languages were included by Edward Sapir in his Penutian hypothesis, which is currently not widely accepted, at least in its full form. The Penutian connections of Tsimshianic have been reevaluated by Marie-Lucie Tarpent, who finds the idea probable, though others hold that the Tsimshianic family is not closely related to any other North American language. Coast Tsimshian is spoken along the lower Skeena River in Northwestern British Columbia, on some neighbouring islands, and to the north at New Metlakatla, Alaska. Southern Tsimshian was spoken on an island quite far south of the Skeena River in the village of Klemtu; however, it became extinct in 2013 with the death of the last speaker. Nisga’a is spoken along the Nass River. Gitksan is spoken along the Upper Skeena River around Hazelton and other areas. Nisga’a and Gitksan are very closely related and are usually considered dialects of the same language by linguists. However, speakers from both groups consider themselves ethnically separate from each other and from the Tsimshian and thus consider Nisga’a and Gitksan to be separate languages. Coast and Southern Tsimshian are also often regarded as dialects of the same language. As of 2023, Tsimshian courses are available at the University of Alaska Southeast.
The Tsimshian have a complex social system consisting of phratries and clans. Phratries are similar to moieties, except they have four divisions instead of two. There are four crests: Killerwhale (Blackfish), Wolf, Raven and Eagle. However Fireweed, Wolf, Raven and Eagle are the Gitksan’s phratry names. The Tsimshian Killerwhale and Wolf are one side and their opposite side are the Eagle and Raven. However, the Gitksan have Fireweed and Wolf as their opposites to Eagle and Raven. Like the Eyak, Tlingit and Haida, they have an exogamous matrilineal clan system. The Tsimshian people speak another isolate language, Sm’algyax, which has four main dialects: Coast Tsimshian, Southern Tsimshian, Nisga’a, and Gitksan. Society was also divided by high-ranking individuals/families, commoners and slaves. Unlike present day marriages, weddings were arranged by family members. Slaves were usually captives from war raids on other villages. Community status could be elevated by hosting a potlatch. The original homeland of the Tsimshian is between the Nass and Skeena Rivers in British Columbia, Canada, though at contact in Southeast Alaska’s Portland Canal area, there were villages at Hyder and Halibut Bay. Presently in Alaska, the Tsimshian live mainly on Annette Island, in (New) Metlakatla, Alaska in addition to settlements in Canada. Like all Northwest Coastal peoples, they thrived on the abundant sea life, especially salmon. The Tsimshian were a seafaring people, like the Haida. A staple for many years, the salmon continues to be at the center of their nutrition, despite large-scale commercial fishing. This abundant food source enabled the Tsimshian to live in permanent towns. The Tsimshian lived in large longhouses, made from cedar house posts and panels. These were very large, and usually housed an entire extended family. Cultural taboos related to prohibiting women and men eating improper foods during and after childbirth. The marriage ceremony was an extremely formal affair, involving several prolonged and sequential ceremonies.Tsimshian religion centered around the "Lord of Heaven", who aided people in times of need by sending supernatural servants to earth to aid them. The Tsimshian believed that charity and purification of the body (either by cleanliness or fasting) was the route to the afterlife.
“Tsimshian” means “people inside the Skeena River.” The Tsimshian, Gitxsan, and Nisg̲a’a people are neighbors along the Skeena and Nass Rivers on the northern coast of British Columbia. These Nations share many traditions and their languages are closely related. Another Tsimshian community is located on Annette Island Reserve, in Metlakatla, Alaska. Sm’algyax is the language spoken by Tsimshian people. Use the buttons below to listen and repeat some words and phrases. One organization working to keep Sm’algyax alive is the Haayk Foundation in Metlakatla, Alaska. According to Co-Founder Huk Tgini’its’ga Xsgiik | Gavin Hudson, its purpose is to save the language, to rapidly create new fluent speakers, and to share, free of charge to the public, any language resources towards that goal. Social, political, and spiritual life revolves around potlatches, or feasts. The purpose of these events varies—the host may call extended family together to settle a debt, for example, or to name a child. Most important, through theater, dance, and song, the host’s clan tells the stories of its origin, history, rights, and privileges. Performers often wear masks, and their awe-inspiring presentations affirm family identity and pass knowledge to new generations. At potlatches, a dancer dancing the Chief’s headdress or welcome dance traditionally fills the top of their headdress with eagle down, a sign of peace. As they dance, dipping and tossing their heads, the feathers float away and settle on and around the guests.
The Tsimshian, usually pronounced in English as /'sɪm.ʃi.æn/ or approximately "SIM-shee-an" are Indigenous, or Native American and First Nation people who live around Terrace and Prince Rupert, on the north coast of British Columbia and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. Currently there are about 10,000 Tsimshians, of which about 1,300 live in Alaska. Canadian Tsimshian live along the Skeena and Nass rivers, as well as the many inlets and islands on the coast. The Tsimshian have traditionally obtained food through fishing (halibut and salmon) and hunting (seals, sea lions and sea otters). They have a tribal lifestyle in a difficult environment, but have enjoyed a relative peaceful and mutually prosperous relationship with settlers of European descent. However, in 1860 smallpox annihilated 80 percent of the entire Tsimshian population in only three years. Further epidemics would ravage the coast for many years, and a century of poverty and hopelessness reduced these numbers even further. Yet, the Tsimshian culture survives as their art and their language are both making a comeback. It can be hoped that these people will find their place in the future world, living in harmony and co-prosperity with all.
The Tsimshian are a group of Canadian First Nations affiliated with the Tsimshian Tribal Council. They live in seven communities in northwestern British Colombia just below the Alaska panhandle along the Skeena River and its estuary and extending south to Milbanke Sound. The seven communities are Kitselas, Kitsumkalum, Lax Kw'alaams (Port Simpson), Metlakatla, Kitkatla, Gitga'at (Hartley Bay), and Kitisoo (Klemtu). Sm'algyax, the language of the Coast Tsimshian, is part of the Tsimshianic language family, along with the languages of the Nisga'a and Gitksan; a fourth Tsimshianic language, Sküüxs (Southern Tsimshian), was replaced by Sm'algyax during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Tsimshianic is not demonstrably related to any other language family despite academic theorizing that it may be a Penutian language. The archaeological record indicates that after the retreat of the glaciers communities were small, relying on large mammals and berries in the inland areas and shellfish and sea mammals on the coast. When salmon became established in the rivers, it became the principal food resource, and permanent winter villages were established. Early in the archaeological record there is evidence of trade involving items such as obsidian and dentalium from distant sources. For the period after cedar forests became well established and the technology for canoe making began to develop, evidence of trade is even more pronounced. By 1500 b.c.e. there are indications that the organization of society had become hierarchical and that coastal and inland economies were interdependent, exchanging dried salmon, mountain goat and caribou, berries, furs, and tanned hides for dried seafood and oolachan grease. Trade networks extended to the Gitksan, and beyond them to the interior Athapascan groups such as the Wet'suwet'en and Carrier and to the Haida and Tlingit and Bella Bella on the coast.
The Tsimshian are a Northwest Coast group who lived and continue to live along the Nass and Skeena rivers and nearby coastal regions of British Columbia. In the early 1800s, the Tsimshian numbered as many as 10,000. In 1980, there were nearly that number in British Columbia and 942 in the Metlakatla Community on the Annette Island Reserve. The Tsimshian were composed of three subgroups (some experts say they were separate groups): Tsimshian, Niska (Nass River), and Gitksan (Kitksan). Tsimshian is a Penutian Language, and four dialects were spoken aboriginally. Sustained contact with Europeans began in the early 1700s and focused on Tsimshian involvement in the fur trade, first with the Russians and then with the English and the Americans. This involvement brought many Tsimshian closer to the coast and culminated in the formation of the large town of Fort Simpson around the Hudson's Bay Company post of the same name beginning in 1834. In 1887 the missionary William Duncan, seeking political and religious freedom, led a group of 942 Tsimshian to Annette Island where they founded the Metlakatla Community. The Community is noted today for its progressive economic policies and relatively high quality of life. The Tsimshian in Canada are now divided into sixteen bands and live on reserves in their traditional territory. In both Alaska and Canada salmon fishing remains an important subsistence and commercial activity, although modern technology such as power boats have replaced the traditional technology. As with all Northwest Coast groups, the social and Political organization of Tsimshian society was multilayered and involved social classes, kin ties, and territorial units. There were four social classes: royalty, nobles, commoners, and slaves. The basic territorial units were the villages, controlled by the matrilineages. Societal-level integration was achieved through affiliation with one of the four matriclans, potlatching, clan exogamy, and patrilocal postmarital residence. The Tsimshian displayed many cultural features typical of the Northwest Coast including potlatches, large plank houses, an economy based on the sea and especially salmon fishing, slavery, and totem poles. The Tsimshian are known for originating the Chilkat blanket, with clan crests woven from Mountain goat wool and yellow cedar bark. Once a medium of exchange, the blankets are now valuable collector's items.
The Tsimshian are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast located in British Columbia, Canada, and Alaska, United States around Terrace and Prince Rupert and in the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. There are approximately 10,000 Tsimshian. Their culture is matrilineal with a societal structure based on a clan system, properly referred to as a moiety. The Tsimshian people have four clans: Laxsgiik (Eagle Clan), Gispwudwada (Killer Whale Clan), Ganhada (Raven Clan), and Laxgibuu (Wolf Clan). Each clan has a number of matrilineal houses that further divide the phratries. Early anthropologists and linguists grouped Gitxsan and Nisga'a as Tsimshian because of linguistic affinities. Under this terminology they were referred to as Coast Tsimshian, even though some communities were not coastal. The three groups identify as separate nations. At one time the Tsimshian lived on the upper reaches of the Skeena River near present-day Hazelton BC. After a series of disasters befell the people, a prince led a migration away from the cursed land to the coast, where they founded Kitkatla, reputed to be one of the oldest continually inhabited communities on Earth. The Gispwudwada or Gisbutwada is the name for the Killer Whale clan (phratry) in the language of the Tsimshian nation of British Columbia, Canada, and southeast Alaska. The chief crests of the Gispwudwada are the Killerwhale (a.k.a. orca) (‘neexł in Tsimshian) and Grizzly Bear (midiik). Laxsgiik, La̱xsgiik or La̱xsgyiik is the name for the Eagle clan (phratry) in the language of the Tsimshian nation of British Columbia, Canada, and southeast Alaska. It is considered analogous or identical to identically named groups among the neighboring Gitksan and Nisga’a nations and also to lineages in the Haida nation.
Most Tsimshian live along the coast of northern British Columbia between the Nass River and Queen Charlotte Sound. The shores and islands are covered by northern rain forests of hemlock, spruce, fir, red cedar and yellow cedar, woods that were the basic raw materials of our culture. Tsimshian territory extends into the mountainous interior as well, following the valley of the Skeena River. At one time at least eight thousand Tsimshian lived there, located in twenty winter villages and many seasonal camps. Today about thirty-five hundred live in seven Canadian towns. In 1862, a Tsimshian group led by an Anglican missionary, William Duncan, broke away from Fort Simpson to found a religious colony at Old Metlakatla. Twenty-five years later they moved again, building New Metlakatla on Annette Island, in southeast Alaska. Generations have lived there since, and that is the community in which I was born and grew up. I was very fortunate to be raised by my grandfather and grandmother, Albert and Dora Bolton, who gave me a strong foundation in our culture. When I was young they took me with them to their fish camps and on trips all over our island for subsistence activities. Most people still rely a great deal on fish, seals, berries and other traditional foods, supplemented by commercial fishing and other sources of cash income. In historical times, the year’s food gathering began in spring when the ice broke up on the Nass River and the eulachon began running there. People traveled from their winter villages to harvest the fish in nets, drying some and fermenting and boiling the rest to extract the oil. Trade in eulachon grease, which no other people could produce in such quantity, was one of the sources of Tsimshian wealth and prosperity. In spring they also gathered seaweed and herring eggs, fished for halibut, and collected bird eggs and abalone. During summer and fall they relocated to fishing sites on the rivers to catch salmon with weirs and traps, drying and smoking them for winter. At the winter villages they gathered clams, cockles and mussels, and if you visit those old settlements today you can still see the mounds of discarded shells. At different times of the year they hunted seals, sea lions, deer, elk, mountain goats and mountain sheep. Archaeological sites in Prince Rupert Harbour demonstrate that this way of life goes back at least five thousand years. Crest objects such as chiefs’ headdresses and masks are connected to origin stories and to the succession of clan leaders who have owned and passed them down to their descendants, along with name titles and titles to land. This is important in British Columbia where the Tsimshian Nation is attempting to reclaim territories that were taken by the Canadian government in the 1870s. Crest objects and the histories attached to them validate those aboriginal claims and link the people to specific places on the land where they lived and harvested food in the old days.
From an evolutionary standpoint, it was not long ago that the Tsimshian people of modern-day Alaska and British Columbia were first confronted with European settlers—roughly 175 years, a mere handful of generations out of the Tsimshian’s 6,000-year American history. But that fateful encounter, which introduced smallpox and other alien ailments into their population, decimated the Tsimshian and threatened to compromise their genetic diversity in the years ahead. What most surprised researchers was that the population of the ancient Tsimshian people was in decline long before the arrival of Europeans. Slowly and steadily, since their first settlement in modern Canada, the Tsimshian had been decreasing in number, not expanding as one might presume. The eventual arrival of disease-bearing Europeans in the region ratcheted up the Tsimshian decline to astonishing proportions: in the 19th century alone, Tsimshian numbers fell by 57 percent. A major focus of Lindo’s paper was the period in the wake of this collapse. How did the genomes of the Tsimshian respond to this traumatic evolutionary event?
Tsimshians and other American Indians are living people with a present and a future as well as a past. Tsimshian history is interesting and important, but the Tsimshian Indians are still here today, too, and we try to feature modern writers as well as traditional folklore, contemporary art as well as museum pieces, and issues and struggles of today as well as the tragedies of yesterday.
Information and language learning
materials from the Tsimshian Indian language.
materials from the Tsimshian Indian language.
Questions and answers about Tsimshian culture.
Collection of Tsimshian Indian legends and folktales.
First Nations Education Services' multimedia
presentation on Tsimshian archaeology,
history, culture and language.
Archaeological study on the ancestors of the modern-day
Tsimshians, also with some information on Tsimshian lifeways.
History of the Tsimshian tribe in Canada.
Ethnography of the Gitksan,
Nisga'a, and Tsimshian people.
Cultural and historical information about
Tsimshian writers, their lives and work.
Recreation of a 19th-century Tsimshian house.
Pictures of traditional Tsimshian
Indian clothing and hair.
Tsimshian toys and games.
Tsimshian musical instruments.
Photographs and descriptions of Haida,
Tsimshian, Tlingit, and Nisga'a blanket robes.
The interesting story of a pair
of stone Tsimshian dance masks.
Photographs of traditional
Tsimshian painting.
Photograph and description
of a Tsimshian totem pole.
of a Tsimshian totem pole.
Online exhibit of Tsimshian artifacts from
the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Traditional Tsimshian recipes.
Timeline and links about Tsimshian history.
The Tsimshianic languages are a family of languages spoken in northwestern British Columbia and in Southeast Alaska on Annette Island and Ketchikan. All Tsimshianic languages are endangered, some with only around 400 speakers. Only around 2,170 people of the ethnic Tsimshian /ˈsɪmʃiən/ population in Canada still speak a Tsimshian language about 50 of the 1,300 Tsimshian people living in Alaska still speak Coast Tsimshian. Tsimshianic languages are considered by most linguists to be an independent language family, with four main languages: Coast Tsimshian, Southern Tsimshian, Nisg̱a’a, and Gitksan. The Tsimshianic languages were included by Edward Sapir in his Penutian hypothesis, which is currently not widely accepted, at least in its full form. The Penutian connections of Tsimshianic have been reevaluated by Marie-Lucie Tarpent, who finds the idea probable, though others hold that the Tsimshianic family is not closely related to any other North American language. Coast Tsimshian is spoken along the lower Skeena River in Northwestern British Columbia, on some neighbouring islands, and to the north at New Metlakatla, Alaska. Southern Tsimshian was spoken on an island quite far south of the Skeena River in the village of Klemtu; however, it became extinct in 2013 with the death of the last speaker. Nisga’a is spoken along the Nass River. Gitksan is spoken along the Upper Skeena River around Hazelton and other areas. Nisga’a and Gitksan are very closely related and are usually considered dialects of the same language by linguists. However, speakers from both groups consider themselves ethnically separate from each other and from the Tsimshian and thus consider Nisga’a and Gitksan to be separate languages. Coast and Southern Tsimshian are also often regarded as dialects of the same language.
One of the most striking aspects of Tsimshian culture is their art, which features intricate designs and vibrant colors. Their totem poles, carved from cedar trees, tell stories of the tribe’s history and beliefs. From the mythical Raven to the powerful Eagle, each symbol represents a different aspect of the Tsimshian worldview. In addition to totem poles, the Tsimshian also create stunning masks, blankets, and jewelry that feature similar motifs. Another important part of Tsimshian culture is their oral tradition, which has been passed down for generations. Through songs, dances, and stories, the Tsimshian communicate their values, beliefs, and history. The potlatch, a ceremonial feast and gift-giving event, is a crucial component of this tradition. During the potlatch, guests share food, song, and dance while exchanging gifts that symbolize wealth and status. This practice connects members of the Tsimshian community and reinforces their cultural identity. Whether you’re interested in art, history, or anthropology, the rich culture of the Tsimshian is sure to captivate you. By delving into their customs and traditions, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of this fascinating indigenous group. So why wait? Begin your journey today and discover all that the Tsimshian have to offer.
Tsimshian, North American Indians of the Northwest Coast who traditionally lived on the mainland and islands around the Skeena and Nass rivers and Milbanke Sound in what is now British Columbia, Can., and Alaska, U.S. They speak any of three Tsimshian dialects: Niska, spoken along the Nass River; coastal Tsimshian, along the lower Skeena and the coast; and Kitksan (or Gitksan), along the upper Skeena. Tsimshian is classified as a Penutian language. The traditional economy of the Tsimshian was based on fishing. They passed the summer months trapping migrating salmon and eulachon (candlefish), a species of smelt. Eulachon were particularly valuable for their oil, which was made into a food highly regarded by many peoples of the area. Large permanent winter houses, made of wood and often carved and painted, symbolized the wealth of Tsimshian families; during the winter months, some land animals were also hunted. The coastal Tsimshian and the Niska were divided into four major clans, or kin groups; the Kitksan into three. These were further divided into local segments or lineages, descent being traced through the maternal line. Each lineage was generally an independent social and ceremonial unit with its own fishing and hunting areas, berry grounds, house or houses, and heraldic crests representing events in the family history, as well as its own chiefs. Local groupings, or tribes, were composed of several lineages; each lineage was ranked relative to the others, and the chief of the highest-ranked lineage was recognized as chief of the tribe. The tribe as a whole held properties such as the winter village site and participated in ceremonies and warfare. The Tsimshian were known for their highly conventionalized applied art. Carved and painted columns (popularly known as “totem poles”) were erected, primarily as memorials to deceased chiefs. The major Tsimshian potlatches, or ceremonial distributions of gifts, had as their purpose the announcement and validation of the position of the new chief. Potlatches could also mark a series of events several years apart, such as house building, totem-pole raising, and dramatizations of privileges and crests. Early 21st-century population estimates indicated some 5,000 Tsimshian descendants.
The Tsimshian were a seafaring people, skilled fishers and hunters, who were located on the mainland and islands around the Skeena River and the Nass River and Milbanke Sound in modern day British Columbia, Canada and Alaska in the United States. The Tsimshian tribe, meaning "People Inside the Skeena River" lived off the produce from the Pacific Ocean and built their plankhouses and dugout canoes from the abundant Cedar trees.
- The Laxsgiik (Eagle Clan)
- The Ganhada (Raven Clan)
- The Gispwudwada (Killer Whale Clan)
- The Laxgibuu (Wolf Clan)
The four social classes consisted of royalty, the nobles, the commoners, and the slaves. Children born to slaves were also considered as slaves. The symbols used on Tsimshian totem poles depict not only their clan affiliations of the raven, eagle, wolf and killer whale but also symbols of other important animals such as the codfish, starfish, halibut, beaver, crane, grizzly bear, bear and dolphin.
One of the most common traditions of the Tsimshian Tribe were the Potlatch Ceremonies which enabled the host to acquire or maintain prestige within their community.
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