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THE 1887 CROSSING! Under the direction of Father Duncan, 800+ 'Tsmshians made their way from Old Metlakatla, BC to New Metlakatla on Annette Island, Alaska.  Picture donated by: Doris Reece, Metlakatla, AK |
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WIEWA!
Our primary research concerns the Coast 'Tsmshian however, for more
in-depth understanding we recommend the following books depicting the life of the 'Tsmshian people to bring as many insights into their lives as possible:
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* PHRATRY *
There are four major linguistic subdivisions of the 'Tsmshian people: the Nishga, in the Nass River area; the Gitskan, on the upper Skeena River; the Coast 'Tsmshian, who held the lower reaches of the Skeena and the adjacent coast; and the Southern 'Tsmshian, who extended 'Tsmshian culture as far south as modern-day Klemtu. The four 'Tsmshian subdivisions were united by similar languages; boundaries between the subdivisions were marked by long-established relationships of trade, intermarriage, established relationships between ranked chiefs at ceremonial occasions, and occasional conflict. Marriage was always outside the crest (phratry) group within the Tsm'shian tribal groups, and the same applied with the other tribes. The phratries (not to be confused with Clans) is as follows: Marriages
were arranged by the lineage. All marriages were supposed to be
between persons of equal rank; the children of a marriage of unequal
persons inherited rank no higher than that of the lower-ranked spouse.
We want to bring to your attention a website page that has been dedicated to one of our own.
Casper Mather * REFERENCES *
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* BEGINNING *
July 1, 1793 Captain Vancouver's surveying crew makes the first contact with the Kitka'ata 'Tsmshians in Douglas Channel. Thirty people in seven canoes. 1864
May
1862
For
more on 1880's
1879
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* CUSTOMS *
A chief was expected to be high-born, generous in giving, and clean of shame. The material culture of the 'Tsmshian was a magnificent manifestation of a coherent vision of the world.
The
'Tsmshians are full owners
of their lands and they met those who entered their territory with
hospitality and dignity and gladly accepted many ideas and objects
that have been incorporated into their cultures, but they never
surrendered their 'Tsmshian identity.
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* POTLATCHES *
This Native gathering, primarily an Indian custom, is held to commemorate major life events such as; naming, house dedication, perforation of ears, nose and lower lip for ornaments, marriage, competitive challenges between groups, death, etc. Traditional Native foods are served, songs and dances are performed and gifts are distributed to everyone who attends. A funeral potlatch might result in the giving away of the deceased's possessions to relatives or to persons who had done favors for the deceased during his or her lifetime. It was almost totally suppressed by the Indian Act ban of 1890 even though potlatches were a focal point of Native society. The Clan Chief who called the potlatch may give away all of his possessions in an attempt to demonstrate his wealth to the guests. Each guest would feel an obligation to hold an even bigger potlatch. The outlawing of potlatches resulted in the disintegration of all aspects of Native culture and the restrictions were not repealed until 1951. The purpose of all the potlatches and feasts was sharing, of both tangibles and intangibles, in a social situation. At the heart of all of them was the feast, the sharing of hard-earned food, and the display of hospitality. While the potlatch itself has suffered under white attitudes emphasizing the importance of saving rather than sharing, its core has been perpetuated in the modern complex of feasting. Although the potlatch is the formal time for transfer of names, especially the greatest ones, 'Tsmshians can take names anytime during their lives, they relinquish all at death. Allowing
for its Christian cast, the 'Tsmshian remain faithful to their traditions
and attuned to their culture. Within their society, kinship remains
one of the strongest of threads, with modern feasting still serving
to knot it with other institutions in perpetuity. |
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