Kitsumkalum facts for kids
Kitsumkalum is one of the original communities, or galts'ap, of the Tsimshian Nation. They are one of 14 Tsimshian tribes found in British Columbia, Canada. Kitsumkalum is also the name of one of their special land areas, called an Indian Reserve. This reserve is located west of the city of Terrace, British Columbia, right where the Kitsumkalum River meets the Skeena River.
Evidence from history and old sites shows that the Kitsumkalum people have lived in the Kitsumkalum Valley and along the Skeena River for thousands of years. Their traditional lands, known as laxyuup, stretched from the valley all the way to the coast. They also had important sites around Lakelse Lake and other areas of the North West Coast.
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What's in a Name?
The name Kitsumkalum comes from the Tsimshian language. It was originally Gitsmgeelm. The word git- means "people of," and -geelm refers to the shallow, rocky parts of the Kitsumkalum River where the water flows quickly. So, Kitsumkalum means "people of the riffles" or "people of the shallow, rocky river."
Family Groups and Clans
The Kitsumkalum tribe is made up of several important family groups, called house-groups. These are extended families that trace their history through the mother's side (this is called matrilineal). Each house-group belongs to a larger group called a clan.
Here are some of the main house-groups that form the Kitsumkalum tribe:
- House of Ligiudziiws – This group belongs to the Ganhada (Raven clan). Laura Talbot leads this house today.
- House of Łagaax & 'Wiidildal – This group belongs to the Gispwudwada (Killerwhale clan). Alex Bolton leads this house today.
- House of Niisgankwadzeks – This group belongs to the Laxsgiik (Eagle clan).
- House of Niisgeel – This group also belongs to the Laxsgiik (Eagle clan). Richard Miller leads this house.
- House of Wudiwiye & Wüneeymhapiskw – This group belongs to the Laxgibuu (Wolf clan). The family of Vera Henry leads this house today.
- House of Xpilaxha – This group belongs to the Ganhada (Raven clan). Gerald Wesley leads this house today.
According to their oral history, the House of Nisgeel was the very first human group to live in the Kitsumkalum valley.
Other Connected Families
Some house-groups from other Tsimshian tribes also have strong connections to the Kitsumkalum community:
- House of Gitxon/Nisgitloop – From the Kitselas tribe. Wilfred Bennett of Kitselas leads this house.
- House of Niiskiimas – From the Giluts'aaw tribe, which is part of Lax Kw'alaams.
- House of Niishaywaaxs – From the Kitselas tribe. This includes the families of Charlotee Guno and Stewart Bolton.
- House of Spooxs – From the Gispaxlo'ots tribe, also part of Lax Kw'alaams.
- House of Sats'aan – This Ganhada (Raven clan) house is from the Kitselas tribe.
Traditional Villages
The main traditional village of the Kitsumkalum people was called Dałk Gyilakyaw, which means "Robin Town." It was located at the Canyon of the Kitsumkalum River. People stopped living at this site in the 1930s.
Another village was Gitxondakł, located between the Canyon and Kalum Lake. This village was home to the Ganhada and Laxgibuu clans.
Today, the modern Kitsumkalum village is located right on Highway 16, where the Kitsumkalum River flows into the Skeena River. In 1983, about 74 people lived in this community.
From the 1870s until the 1960s, many Kitsumkalum and Kitselas Tsimshian people also lived in a cannery town called Port Essington. This town, now a ghost town, was farther down the Skeena River where it met the Ecstall River.
Cultural Revival
A very important event for bringing back traditional culture at Kitsumkalum was the "Su-Sit'aatk" feast in 1987. During this feast, two totem poles were raised. These poles were carved by the Haida carver Freda Diesing. A team from Kitsumkalum helped her, including Dorothy Horner, Myrtle Laidlaw, Sandra Wesley, Vernon Horner, Norman Guno, and Lorraine McCarthy.
