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Tsimshian,
Gitksan & Niska
Tsimshian,
group of Native North American tribes of the Tsimshian
language family and of the Northwest
Pacific Coast culture area.
Fishers
in summer and hunters in winter, they originally
lived in the vicinity of the Skeena and Nass rivers
in northern British Columbia.
The
Tsimshian were first exposed to white culture in
1862, when the British missionary William Duncan
erected an Anglican mission at Metlakatla. He eventually
converted the Tsimshian to Christianity; in the
process much of their original way of life perished.
In
1887 Duncan relocated, accompanied by most of the
Tsimshian; they built New Metlakatla on Annette
Island, Alaska.
The
Tsimshian lived in one-story wooden buildings consisting
of a large room surrounding a fireplace with a sleeping
platform built around the inner walls. A house was
inhabited by 30 to 40 members of the same clan.
Kinship
was matrilineal, and society was stratified into
chiefs, nobles, and commoners.
The
Tsimshian were skilled carvers of memorial totem
poles.
Today,
most Tsimshian live on reservations in British Columbia
and Alaska. In 1990, 2432 people in the United States
claimed Tsimshian ancestry.
"Tsimshian,"
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta.msn.com
© 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights
reserved.
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Tsimshian,
Gitksan & Niska
The
Tsimshian ("people inside the Skeena River") of northern
British Columbia were divided into three groups: the
Tsimshian proper, around the mouth of the Skeena River;
the Gitksan, farther up the Skeena; and the Niska,
who inhabited the basin of the Nass (Niska) River.
Owing
to their geographical location, the Niska and the
Gitksan devoted more time to the hunting of land mammals
(particularly mountain goats and bears) than the Tsimshian
proper, who directed their energy to halibut fishing,
and the hunting of seals, sea lions and sea otters
among the islands off the coast. Nevertheless, all
three groups depended mainly on the incredible numbers
of salmon that migrated each year up the rivers, and
towards the end of winter all three gathered at the
various eulachon fishing stations along the Nass River.
(IC
Indians of Canada"," D. Jenness)
Museum
of Civilization, Ottawa, Canada
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Nisga'a
Nisga'a
stories are affirmations of the history of the people,
the land and our relationship to animals. Stories
were only shared by specific delegates of one's family,
and were considered the tangible property of the family.
The
Chief's Rattle
In
the Nass Valley, there is a sacred hunting lake. Many
hunters tried to hunt on this lake, only to perish
in its whirlpool. One day, a hunter watched the movements
of the whirlpool, counting the bad times and the mild
times. He had many successful hunts by timing the
whirlpool, setting out carefully on the lake as the
whirlpool became mild and returning before it turned
bad. On one hunt, a little bird came out of the water.
It stood on the water and shook itself, making the
sound of a rattle. The bird's mask-like head was that
of a raven, and on its back there was a carving of
a frog whose tongue was joined to that of a man. The
hunter knew that this was the spirit bird, who was
controlling the movements of the whirlpool. By showing
itself to the hunter, the spirit bird was giving him
a blessing for more successful hunts. On returning
home, the hunter carved a rattle in the shape of the
spirit bird to show his respect and thanks.
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The
Man and the Frog
Most
chief's rattles feature a man whose tongue is
joined to that of a frog. This represents the
sharing of power between people and their spirit
guides. With the increased trade and production
of rattles, the frog and many other animals
have been interchanged. As well, in ancient
times the Nisga'a were able to transform into
animals and vice versa; animals could become
human by removing their skins and humans could
become animals by putting on the skins. The
face of the man reflects the owner of the rattle,
so each man's face is different.
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The
Mask-like Figure
The
last figure on the back of the rattle usually
takes the form of a bird. This bird would be
changed depending on the owner's crests, to
reflect the owner's personal connection to the
animal world. For example, the Wolf tribe uses
the wolf or crane, the Eagle tribe uses the
eagle or beaver, the Killerwhale tribe uses
the grouse or owl, and the Raven/Frog tribe
uses the raven or frog.
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Museum
of Civilization, Ottawa, Canada
PHOTOS
OF CMC ARTIFACTS: Richard Garner, Harry Foster
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