The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada. Since ancient times, the Skeena has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose names mean "inside the River of Mist" ,and "people of the River of Mist," respectively. The river and its basin sustain a wide variety of fish, wildlife, and vegetation, and communities native to the area depend on the health of the river. The Tsimshian migrated to the Lower Skeena River, and the Gitxsan occupy territory of the Upper Skeena.
The Bulkley River (left) flowing into the Skeena River (right) near Hazelton
Skeena River at Telegraph Point, east of the city of Prince Rupert, British Columbia
First Nations girl fishing on the Skeena River near Kitwanga, 1915
SS Inlander on the Skeena River at Kitselas Canyon, 1911
The Tsimshian are an Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace and Prince Rupert, and Metlakatla, Alaska on Annette Island, the only reservation in Alaska.
Tsimshian drumming in 1999
Bag with 65 Inlaid Gambling Sticks, Tsimshian (Native American), 19th century, Brooklyn Museum
Tsimshian bentwood box featuring formline painting, 1850, collection of the UBC Anthropology Museum
Benjamin Haldane, 1907, Tsimshian photographer and musician