Who Are the Gitxsan?
The Gitxsan (also Gitksan) are a First Nations people of the upper Skeena River watershed in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Numbering approximately 10,000-12,000, they speak Gitxsanimaax (Gitxsan), a Tsimshianic language closely related to neighboring Nisga'a and Coast Tsimshian. The name means "People of the River of Mists," referring to the Skeena River. The Gitxsan are renowned for their elaborate totem poles, feast (potlatch) traditions, and the landmark Delgamuukw court case (1997), in which the Supreme Court of Canada recognized that Gitxsan oral histories could be used as evidence of Aboriginal title—a groundbreaking decision for Indigenous rights across Canada.
Feast System
Gitxsan society organizes through Houses (wilp) and clans (pdeek), with matrilineal descent determining membership. The feast (yukw) system governs social, political, and legal life. At feasts, hosts reaffirm territorial rights, settle disputes, transfer names and titles, and redistribute wealth. Chiefs (simgiget) hold hereditary names with associated territories, histories, and responsibilities. The adaawk (oral histories) and ayuks (crests and songs) are property rights owned by Houses, defining territory and identity. Colonial authorities banned feasting (1884-1951), but the Gitxsan maintained traditions covertly. Post-ban revival has strengthened feast culture, which now operates openly as Indigenous governance alongside (and sometimes in tension with) Canadian law.
Delgamuukw Decision
The Delgamuukw v. British Columbia case, initiated in 1984 and decided by the Supreme Court in 1997, transformed Canadian Indigenous rights law. The Gitxsan (with the Wet'suwet'en) claimed Aboriginal title to their territories. The trial court initially rejected the claim, infamously dismissing oral histories as unreliable. On appeal, the Supreme Court ruled that oral traditions must be given weight as evidence, recognized Aboriginal title as a property right, and ordered a new trial. Though the substantive claim was never retried (negotiations ensued instead), the decision established principles that have shaped subsequent title cases. The Gitxsan demonstrated how legal advocacy could advance Indigenous rights while affirming traditional governance systems.
Contemporary Gitxsan
Modern Gitxsan live in communities including Gitanmaax, Gitwangak, Gitsegukla, Gitanyow, Kispiox, and Glen Vowell along the upper Skeena. Resource development pressures—logging, mining, pipelines—continue to raise territorial issues. The Gitxsan have opposed projects threatening their lands while also developing their own economic initiatives. Language revitalization programs address declining fluency; immersion programs and documentation projects work to preserve Gitxsanimaax. Totem pole carving has been revived; new poles are raised in traditional ceremonies. The feast system remains central to Gitxsan governance. Tourism to totem pole sites and cultural experiences provides some economic benefit. The Gitxsan demonstrate how Indigenous peoples use legal, political, and cultural means to assert rights and maintain living traditions.
References
- Mills, A. (1994). Eagle Down Is Our Law: Witsuwit'en Law, Feasts, and Land Claims
- Daly, R. (2005). Our Box Was Full: An Ethnography for the Delgamuukw Plaintiffs
- Sterritt, N. J. et al. (1998). Tribal Boundaries in the Nass Watershed