ANCIENT VILLAGES AND TOTEM POLES OF THE NISG̱A'A
Explore the Ancient Village of Git’iks - move the eagle cursor over each longhouse
and totem pole to see the Nisg̱a’a House and click to view further details of each totem pole.
The artist’s image and pole descriptions for Git’iks are based approximately on the year 1900,
according to the best historical information currently available.
G̱alts’abim Git’iks
Tgunhl an hihl Git’iks. “Hli gadihl hat’aaḵsim mm̓aal” Wayt gisa geets wil t’aahl galts’ap wat ahl Git’iks. Nidi hasag̱an ahl w̓ii n̓wgwim hat’aaḵs ahl ksax̱ wil x̱siksihl ḵ’li aks wilt hoox diit. K’sax wax hoox diit ii w̓itkw gwin ahl galts’ap. W̓ayihl pdalks ii nidi x̱siksit.
Adawaaḵ wila sit’aatkwhl Git’iks: Hla luyaltkwhl gat wat as Gadaxex Lax̱giit n̓it, w̓itkw lax̱ ha’aydax̱ ii sitaahl g̱alts’ap ahl Git’iks n̓i wil huxw dii lukws Niisy̓uus Gisḵaast pdeeḵ diit. Iit huxw dii lukws Niisjoohl, Lax Ganada pdeeḵ diit. Bakw n̓idiit anu gigeenix. Aamhl g̱an̓agwit ii moja ksax̱ lax̱sgiik jog̱at loot.
Gabiihl hlgadihl Git’iks, lu akhlkw diit 350 ahl 1870 ii k’am 75 jog̱at loot ahl 1896. Hla aamhl g̱an̓agwit ii g̱ooda hli gadihl Git’iks. Hla g̱a simutkws Nisga’a. N̓i wil tḵal g̱oodahl jog̱at Ahl Git’iks ahl wil wanhl g̱asimutkwsit, ahl Ging̱ulx ganhl Lax̱ Galts’ap. “Kincolith Ganhl Greenville”
Village of Git’iks
Git’iks means “People of canoe poles”.
At this location on the lower Nass River, it was once necessary to get long poles for continuing by water if you were travelling by cedar dugout canoe – paddles were no longer sufficient to continue upriver against the strong current.
Legend states that Git’iks was founded by Gadaxex of the Eagle tribe after he returned from living among the Haida. He was eventually joined by Niisyuus of the Killer Whale tribe and Niists’oohl of the Ravens (originally from the upper Nass). With time, Git’iks developed into a predominantly Eagle village.
The population of Git’iks was estimated at over 350 people in 1870, but only about 75 people still remained in 1896. By this time, most of the Nisg̱a’a had become Christianized and many families of Git’iks had moved to the new church mission villages of Kincolith (Ging̱olx̱) and Greenville (Lax̱galts’ap).