The Tsimshian, translated as "People Inside the Skeena River," are Native Americans who live around Terrace, Prince Rupert, and Kitimat, on the north coast of British Columbia and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. Currently there are about 10,000 Tsimshians, of which about 1,300 live in Alaska.

Canadian Tsimshian live along the Skeena and Nass rivers, as well as the many inlets and islands on the coast. The Tsimshian obtained food through fishing (halibut and salmon) and hunting (seals, sea lions and sea otters).

The Tsimshian speak their own language, referred to by the same name as the tribe itself. There are four main dialects of Tsimshian:

• Northern Tsimshian, spoken along the lower Skeena River and north to Alaska
• Southern Tsimshian, spoken south of the Skeena River
• Gitksan, spoken along the upper Skeena River
• Nisga'a, spoken along the Nass River

The Tlingit claim that their art of weaving Chilkat blankets is derived from Tsimshian sources, although this has not been historically corroborated. The Tlingit also trace a number of other arts to Tsimshian sources. Intermarriage, name exchange, trade, and slaving were very common between the Tlingit, the Tsimshian, and the Haida.

Alaskan Tsimshian

The Tsimshian in Alaska were refugees from religious persecution in Canada during the 1890s. Led by the missionary William Duncan, a group of Tsimshian requested settlement on Annette Island from the U.S. government. There Duncan and about 50 Tsimshian followers established the village of Metlakatla, adopting the Anglican faith and European customs. The island was founded as a reservation for the Tsimshian people and is the only Indian reservation in Alaska.

They maintained their reservation status and holdings exclusive of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and thus do not have an associated Native Corporation, although Tsimshian in Alaska may be shareholders of the Sealaska Corporation. The Annette Island reservation is the only location in Alaska allowed to maintain fish traps, which were otherwise banned when Alaska became a state in 1959. The traps are used to provide food for people living on the reservation.

The Tsimshian are in negotiations with Canada and British Columbia for a treaty settlement.

See Also

• Tsimshian mythology