Metlakatla << MEHT lah KAHT lah >> are a First Nations people of Canada’s northwest coast. First Nations is a designation used in Canada for indigenous (native) peoples. Metlakatla territory is in the northern coastal region of British Columbia , around the city of Prince Rupert and the mouth of the Skeena River. The Metlakatla Nation has made agreements with the Canadian government but has never surrendered Metlakatla territory or signed an official treaty.
The Metlakatla Nation is part of a larger group of related nations known as the Tsimshian . The language of the Metlakatla is Sm’algyax, which has also been known as Coast Tsimshian.
The Metlakatla traditionally harvested a wide variety of wildlife for food, including salmon, shellfish, moose, deer, and mountain goats. They also collected many kinds of edible plants. Small family groups spent much of the year moving throughout their territory, gathering resources. They spent each winter in the same village, which they shared with other family groups. Family groups lived in separate houses. Metlakatla society was matrilineal, with rights and responsibilities mainly determined by relationships traced through women family members.
Cedar was an important resource for the Metlakatla. It was used to make canoes, totem poles, masks, and tools, as well as houses. Cedar bark was shredded and woven into baskets, mats, and clothing.
The Metlakatla held elaborate feasts called potlatches to mark marriages, deaths, or other notable occasions. Potlatches were also used to establish social rank and maintain alliances. Hosts achieved these goals by displaying possessions, giving them away, or occasionally destroying them.
Today, there are about 1,000 members of the Metlakatla Nation. Many individuals live in the community of Metlakatla, which was established in the 1800’s by William Duncan, an English missionary. Duncan attempted to assimilate the Metlakatla into non-indigenous society by establishing community rules that forbade potlatches and shamanism. He encouraged Christianity, tax paying, and a lifestyle centered around agriculture. The modern community of Metlakatla is located on an ancient Metlakatla village site on Annette Island, in what is now southern Alaska.
Genetic tests on ancient skeletal remains show that some contemporary members of the Metlakatla First Nation are direct descendants of people who lived on their land thousands of years ago. These tests support Metlakatla oral history and archaeological research that have indicated a very long occupation of the area by the Metlakatla.
