Tsimishian

The Tsimshian, whose name means inside the Skeena River, are a Northwest Coast people of the lower Skeena and islands around Prince Rupert Harbour in British Columbia. The Nisga'a and Gitxsan speak related languages but are separate nations. Tsimshian society was matrilineal and ranked, built on moieties, clans and a chiefly hierarchy.

Oral history tells of an early home near Hazelton and a migration to the coast that founded Kitkatla after disasters. Winter villages such as Metlakatla were occupied in the cold season and summer fishing camps followed the salmon runs.

Sea captains Charles Duncan and James Colnett reached Gitxaala in 1787, the first recorded European contact. In 1834 the Hudson's Bay Company moved its fort to Lax Kw'alaams, where nine Tsimshian chiefs settled to command trade; the people were estimated at about 8,500 the following year.