Metlakatla Sound

Metlakatla takes its name from a Tsimshian expression for a passage between bodies of salt water. The sheltered channel links Chatham Sound with Tuck Inlet, among forested islands and shores on the northern Pacific coast. Villages of the Coast Tsimshian stood along this waterway, and canoes connected them with fishing places and neighbouring communities. In 1834, following the establishment of Fort Simpson at Lax Kw'alaams, the nine allied tribes moved their winter villages to the trading post.