Gitga’at Nation
Hartley Bay
The Gitga’at Nation, whose name means “People of the Cane,” are members of the Tsimshian Nation group.
The main Gitga’at community is located in Hartley Bay, on BC’s North Coast.
Gitga’at Nation
Their territory encompasses the mainland and coastal islands of the lower Douglas Channel, Whale Channel, Wright Sound, and Lewis Pass to Caamano Sound on BC’s North and Central Coast.
Laxgalts’ap (or “Old Town”) was the ancestral home and main winter village for the Gitga’at Nation, located in Kitkiata Inlet on the northwest side of Douglas Channel.
Today the main Gitga’at community resides in Txalgiu (Hartley Bay), though the community still visit and occupy historic village sites throughout their territory to fish, gather berries, harvest seaweed, and manage their resources.
The community well-being of the Gitga’at Nation is closely intertwined with the health of their territory, the water and land, and the resources they contain. The Gitga’at Nation is intent on maintaining and protecting these resources for future generations and its members are currently working towards implementing a conservation-based marine use plan.
The marine use plan will protect cultural areas and heritage sites, conserve and sustainably manage marine resources as well as increase capacity within the Gitga’at Nation to undertake stewardship activities.
Related to Gitga’at Nation
Coastal Stewardship Network: Collaborative Monitoring and Protection of First Nations’ Lands and Waters
The Coastal Stewardship Network is supporting its member First Nations as they’ve established sophisticated monitoring programs and their analyses informing vital environmental and resource management decisions.
Gitga’at Guardians: Using Science to Safeguard their Territory
The Gitga’at Nation is protecting ecosystems, wildlife, and cultural assets in their territory through monitoring and research.
Gitga’at Guardians: Sustaining a Way of Life
The Gitga’at Guardians protect the remote territory of the Nation while providing local employment opportunities.
First Nations Lead Efforts to Monitor Salmon Populations
First Nations’ stewardship departments are leading efforts to ensure salmon populations are managed with the best available data.
Coastal Guardian Watchmen Network Featured in Sierra Magazine
First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii, and across the entirety of what is now called Canada, have been stewarding their lands and waters for millennia. The pivotal work of Coastal First Nations in laying the groundwork for Indigenous Guardian programs was featured in a recent article by Sierra Magazine.
Gitga’at Guardians and Coastal Stewardship Network Stories Featured in Sevenseas Magazine
This October, Sevenseas Marine Conservation & Travel Magazine is featuring stories previously published by First Nations in Coast Funds’ Talking Stick as well as features on Marine Planning Partnerships in the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii.
Gitga'at Organizations and Resources
Online Resources
- Gitga'at First Nation
State of the Gitga'at Ocean Report (2015/16)
- Gitga'at Guardian Watchmen
Coastal Stewardship Network
- Researcher moved by drama of killer whale rescue in BC
Marven Robinson in The Globe and Mail
- Gitga’at Marine Biologist Speaks about Whales and Tankers
CBC Daybreak North
- National Geographic Live! - Capturing the Spirit Bear
National Geographic
- Gitga'at First Nation
North Coast Skeena First Nations Stewardship Society
Related Protected Areas
- Alty Conservancy
- Bishop Bay – Monkey Beach Conservancy
- Bishop Bay – Monkey Beach Corridor Conservancy
- Byers / Conroy / Harvey / Sinnett Islands Ecological Reserve
- Foch-Gilttoyees Provincial Park and Protected Area
- Jesse Falls Protected Area
- K’distsausk/Turtle Point Conservancy
- K’lgaan/Klekane Conservancy
- K’mooda/Lowe-Gamble Conservancy
- K’nabiyaaxl / Ashdown Conservancy
- K’ootz/Khutze Conservancy
- K’waal Conservancy
- Kt’ii/Racey Conservancy
- Ktisgaidz/MacDonald Bay Conservancy
- Lax ka’Gass/Campania Conservancy
- Lax Kwil Dziidz/Fin Conservancy
- Lowe Inlet Marine Provincial Park
- Maxtaktsm’aa/Union Passage Conservancy
- Moksgm’ol/Chapple-Cornwall Conservancy
- Moore/Mckenney/Whitmore Islands Ecological Reserve
- Monckton Nii Luutiksm Conservancy
- Q’altanaas / Aaltanhas Conservancy
- Simpson Lake East Conservancy
- Stair Creek Conservancy
- Union Passage Marine Provincial Park