|
Tsimshian
| Haida |
Bella Coola |
Kwakiutl |
Nootka |
Salish
The Tsimshian people lived between the
Nass and Skeena rivers in British Columbia. They
originally lived further inland but pushed their way
down the Skeena River to the coast displacing the
Tlingit peoples. They were reliant upon the massive
salmon runs that came up the Skeena river and would
catch enough of these fish and smoke them on racks so
they would last year round. The salmon would come
upstream to spawn at various times of the year depending
upon the type. They were highly skilled at carving red
cedar into beautiful totem poles which would tell a
story about their family or band. They also used the
cedar to create large, long planks to build their long
houses with.
The first contact with Europeans may have been with
Spanish explorers along the coast but could have also
been with Alexander Mackenzie during his cross continent
trip to the Pacific. The Hudson Bay Company set up
trading posts in the area in 1831 - Fort Simpson and
1835 - Fort Essington. Their way of life was no
drastically effected by the Bay or other white man
activities until the Barkerville gold rush in the late
1850's brought miners and prospectors into the area in
large numbers looking for gold. In the early 1900's
another influx of Canadians took place when the city of
Prince Rupert was chosen as the western terminus of the
Grand Trunk railway.
As with many native groups, there was
a drastic population decline after contact with
Europeans with numbers declining from about 5.500 in
1780 to about 1,840 in 1908. The
Tsimshia were noted fro their beautiful wood carvings
and artistic expression of their believes and culture.
They have a unique linguistic language and that has 3
sub groups or dialects. |
