Sunday, May 11, marks 25 years since the landmark Nisga’a Final Agreement, more commonly referred to as the treaty, came into effect, granting the Nisga’a Nation the right to self-government.
The agreement, seen by many as a crucial milestone in working toward reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, was the first modern treaty in British Columbia.
It was also the first treaty in B.C. to provide constitutional certainty regarding an Indigenous Peoples’ Section 35 rights.
Fifteen years ago, Global’s Chris Gailus travelled to the Nisga’a Nation to mark the agreement’s 10th anniversary.
From the archives, here’s his report.
Visiting the Nisga’a Nation 10 years after the Final Agreement
The Nass River is the third largest river in B.C. Glacier-fed and pristine, it provides an abundance of salmon to the Nisga’a. This river quite literally runs through the veins of the people who live on it.
Ben Gnu works for the Nisga’a Fishery, protecting this priceless natural resource. He says he’s never damaged a propeller in 10 years, and after our ride, I believe him. He’s taking us to one of the fish wheels, where they count the returning salmon.
These ingenious contraptions anchored along a 20-kilometre stretch of river pull the returning salmon right up out of the water. DNA samples are taken, and the fish are measured and tagged.
The salmon are returned to the water to continue their journey upstream to spawn. Every tag that is put on the fish holds a number and a phone number for the fisheries department.
Anyone who catches a fish with one of the tags can call that number to receive a record of where that fish was caught, how far it travelled, and how big it was when it was tagged.
All of that information helps preserve the fishery. The work ensures an escapement of at least 200,000 salmon, the minimum number required to spawn and sustain fish stocks.
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Locals used drift netting techniques perfected over thousands of years, slapping the water to scare the salmon out of the shallows and into the nets.
But preserving these ancient traditions is only half the battle for the Nisga’a. They’re trying to create a brighter future for themselves, too.
Ten years ago, the Nisga’a signed what they call the Final Agreement and moved into a beautiful new legislative building. It was British Columbia’s first modern treaty, restoring their right to self-government and control of their own destiny.
“There is no blueprint for us to follow, we have to go out and do it on our own — keeping in mind, there’s been government in this country for some 143 years; we’re in our 10th year,” said Mitchell Stevens, then-president of the Nisga’a Lisims government.
It hasn’t always been easy. The Nisga’a struggle with the realities of life on many First Nations communities.
Substance abuse is an issue, and with commercial fishing boats sitting idle between openings, unemployment is high, averaging 50 per cent in the Nass Valley.
But guided by their mission statement — one heart, one path, one nation — they know education is the key to prosperity.
The Final Agreement renewed a sense of pride and allows them to resurrect Nisga’a traditions like canoe carving skills that faded away under the rule of the Indian Act.
Master carver Alver Taite is a living link to the past.
“I could work on my own, but I like teaching, helping to bring that culture back and reigniting the enthusiasm of the young people of what they were, who we are,” he said.
And if Alver Tait represents one foot firmly planted in the past, these students represent the ones stepping into the future, singing a Bob Marley tune in their native language.
The smallest of the Nisga’a villages boasts the highest percentage of post-secondary graduates. Bridging the generation gap is a priority for educators here.
Gitwinksihlkw is also home to a degree-granting university in partnership with the University of Northern British Columbia.
These kindergartners are expected to be in the class of 2026, and one of the most important lessons for any Nisga’a is the story of the volcano and lava flow that dominate the landscape.
They’re hoping to tap into its potential as a tourist destination. The flow covers 40 square kilometres at an average depth of 12 metres.
At around the same time of the eruption, about 235 to 250 years ago, a Spanish explorer named Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra happened to be sailing at the mouth of the Nass River. He noted in his captain’s logbook a massive orange glow in the sky and a warm wind blowing across the bow of his ship.
He determined that to be a volcanic eruption. And we now know that that is the only independent verification of the story that’s been passed down from generation to generation as part of the Nisga’a oral history.
They tell of poison smoke coming down the valley, claiming two thousand of their villagers.
The lava left a moonscape that exists to this day, covered in lichen and moss. It’s a stunning environment that few outside this region know about.
But the Nisga’a hope that changes, bringing more visitors and their money to Anhluut’ukwsim Lax̱mihl Angwinga’asanskwhl Nisga’a Park (Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Park).
Access to the park is easy enough, but that’s not the case everywhere.
Getting to the water and its outstanding sport fishing is tricky at best. There’s a one-lane road to the government dock in Ging̱olx. Launching a boat out here would take nerves of steel.
At the Nisga’a Salmon Lodge bed and breakfast, Ron Nyce and his wife Jackie are ready for the brave adventurers who do make it out to the Nass Valley.
“I really do enjoy this, you know,” Ron Nyce said.
He’s in the middle of a career change: after 44 years as a commercial fisherman, he gave up cutting bait to cut cantaloupe for his guests. He’s hoping the Nisga’a leadership embraces tourism like he has.
“People are coming. They’re coming with all different kinds of vehicles, and they need a place to stay,” he said.
“They need a good place to eat. And they need something to do. So yeah, it’s time to blow that dust off all those plans and get rolling.”
It’s something the Nisga’a are eager to share, the beauty of their land, of course, but their culture and traditions too.
Global News was welcomed in Gitlax̱t’aamiks (formerly New Aiyansh) with a big community party.
Every celebration, of course, begins with a feast — and this time was no different.
Well, it was different for this reporter – I’d be eating things I’d never put in my mouth before, including oolichan, baked spring salmon eggs, deep-fried seaweed, herring eggs and kelp — and the most exotic of all, smoked sea lion. Delicious.
After the feast features a performance by the Gitlaxt’aamiks Ceremonial Dancers.
Visitors are expected to join in with each of the four Nisga’a clans, Gisk’aast (Killer Whale/ Owl), Ganada (Raven/Frog), Laxgibuu (Wolf/ Bear) and Laxsgiik (Eagle/Beaver), all telling their ancient stories through music and movement.
It remains to be seen how the story unfolds for the Nisga’a, but 10 years after signing their final agreement, at least they control how it’s written.
With their commitment to preserving the salmon they depend on, and sustaining a culture that’s rooted to the land they live on, the Nisga’a are ensuring the Nass Valley retains its unspoiled beauty for all of us to enjoy.
