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EntityQ851575· pop 9· linked from 221 articles

Also known as Gitxsan people, Gitksan, Gyitkshan, Kitksan, Gitxsan Indians, Giklsan Indians, Giklsan, Gitksan Indians

Gitxsan (also spelled Gitksan and Kitksan) are an Indigenous people in Canada whose home territory comprises most of the area known as the Skeena Country in English (: means "people [of]" and : means "the River of Mist"). Gitksan territory encompasses approximately of land, from the basin of the upper Skeena River from about Legate Creek to the Skeena's headwaters and its surrounding tributaries. Part of the Tsimshianic language group, their culture is considered to be part of the civilization of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, although their territory lies in the Interi

Wikidata facts

Instance of
ethnic group
Country
Canada
Country of origin
Canada
Show 2 more facts
Commons category
Gitxsan
ancestral home
British Columbia
Sources (1)

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Encyclopedic overview

7 sections
Contents
  • Society and culture
  • Title and treaties
  • Communities
  • Notable people of Gitxsan descent
  • References
  • Bibliography
  • External links

Gitxsan (also spelled Gitksan and Kitksan) are an Indigenous people in Canada whose home territory comprises most of the area known as the Skeena Country in English (: means "people [of]" and : means "the River of Mist"). Gitksan territory encompasses approximately of land, from the basin of the upper Skeena River from about Legate Creek to the Skeena's headwaters and its surrounding tributaries. Part of the Tsimshianic language group, their culture is considered to be part of the civilization of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, although their territory lies in the Interior rather than on the Coast. They were at one time also known as the Interior Tsimshian, a term which also included the Nisga'a, the Gitxsan's neighbours to the north. Their neighbours to the west are the Tsimshian (a.k.a. the Coast Tsimshian) while to the east the Wetʼsuwetʼen, an Athapaskan people, with whom they have a long and deep relationship and shared political and cultural community.

==Society and culture== Gitxsan are a matrilineal society that consists of Frog, Eagle, Wolf, and Fireweed Clans. Each clan consists of a series of independent Houses (Wilp), each with their own High Chief, and traditional territories and fishing sites. Marriage within a clan is forbidden.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Gitxsan” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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