'Ksan Collection
The following categories are types of artifacts contained in the
'Ksan Museum. Each category contains detailed information on the
item indicated.
Aboriginal people throughout North America
practiced fishing. It played a dominant role in the Gitxsan
culture and continues to this day. The use of dip nets, traps, weirs
and wheels is making a resurgence in Gitxsan use.
The material culture of the Gitxsan
and Wet’suwet’en societies included numerous artifacts
many of which were tools.
Women enjoyed the praise and prestige that
came from their skill in basketry and other weaving - which was
and still is, exclusively a woman’s art. The use of cedar was
varied, including items such as clothing, rope, baskets, and mats.
The type of weave often reflected the use of the item: e.g. the
use of roots for water tightness. Unique patterns can sometimes
reflect the weaver.
The word potlatch which means giving, is
from the Chinook language and was not commonly use by the Gitxsan.
Gitxsan people refer to these events as “yukw”
- usually translated as feasts. These events were hosted for many
reasons and business was and is conducted publicly. The guests,
or witnesses, validated the hosting clan's business.
Regalia is a general term that includes all
the items worn by those attending a feast (usually high chiefs):
ceremonial blankets (also known as robes), headdresses, masks, aprons,
leggings and rattles. These were displayed and used for various
ceremonial parts of the yukw. Their significance in use was and
is denoted by specific crests owned by house groups.
Resembling shields in outline, coppers were
often decorated with the clans insignia. A copper was the most valuable
single object that a chief possessed and an important sign of wealth.
It is known that coppers came to the Gitxsan through trade
and sometimes warfare.
Some of the finest examples of
the Gitxsan art include Bentwood Boxes and
Goat Horn Spoons
When food was abundant the people enriched
their lives with ceremony, ritual dancing, drumming, singing and
story-telling. They enhanced their material lives with sumptuous
feasts, drama, gambling, games and gift giving. This continues to
this day as clans conduct business through the winter months. House
chiefs maintain the "daxgyet" (power) of the house by upkeep of
their responsabilities.
The world of the spirits played a part in
the life of every Gitxsan person, but the men and women who
established very special relationships with the spirit world were
called “Halayt-dim-swannasxw”. People were chosen at an
early age because they possessed specific talents that were conducive
to healing practices. They were then trained in the art of healing.
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Hazelton BC V0J 1Y0
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