Tlowitsis Nation
Knight Inlet and Turnour Island
The Tlowitsis First Nation’s territory is located at the mouth of Knight Inlet, encompassing Glendale Cove, Blinkinsop Bay, Kelsey Bay, and Beaver Cove as well as the Adam and Eve rivers on Vancouver Island.
The Tlowitsis Nation’s main community is located on Vancouver Island. The traditional territory of the Tlowitsis Nation spans the Queen Charlotte Strait and Johnstone Strait region of the Discovery Islands.
Tlowitsis Nation
The Tlowitsis territory also includes a portion of Hanson Island, Harbletown Island, Turnour Island, East and West Carcroft Islands, Call Inlet, and Port Neville watershed on the BC Coast.
The Tlowitsis Nation traditionally travelled and lived throughout their territory, evidenced by seasonal travel routes, food processing locations, and burial and cultural sites across the entire territory.
More recently their main village was at Qalogwis on Turnour Island, which had traditionally been the primary winter village.
In the 1960’s the Canadian Government closed down the local school and the hospital ship at Qalogwis. With no access to education and healthcare, the Tlowitsis community gradually left Qalogwis and dispersed throughout Vancouver Island and southern BC.
To help preserve and strengthen the community ties to their land, the Tlowitsis Guardians maintain a presence throughout their territory and are involved in the conservation and protection of cultural, economic, and ecological values.
Tlowitsis Organizations and Resources
Online Resources
- Tlowitsis Guardians
Ha-Ma-Yas Stewardship Network
- Tlowitsis Marine Planning
Na̲nwak̲olas Council Society
- Negotiating Turnour Island
Shima - The International Journal of Research into Island Cultures
- Tlowitsis - Governance
First Nations in BC Knowledge Network
- Ḵalug̱wis (Turnour Island) Gallery
Simon Fraser University - The Bill Reid Centre