Kitkatla, also known as Lach Klan or Laxklan by the Tsimshian, is a small village on the north coast of Dolphin Island, approximately 28 miles (45 km) southwest of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. It serves as the home of the Gitxaała First Nation government. The village is accessible only by floatplane or boat. Dolphin Island is situated 2.5 miles (4 km) off the south coast of Porcher Island.
The Gitxaala is one of the 14 bands of the Tsimshian nation in British Columbia. Historically, they were also known as the Sebassa tribe, named after their paramount chief, Ts’ibasaa. The name “Gitxaala” is derived from the Tsimshian word “GitkxaaÅ‚a,” meaning “people of the open sea”—a reference to their location farthest from the mainland among the Tsimshian tribes. Another name for themselves is “Git lax m’oon,” or “people of the saltwater,” highlighting the islands and inlets they have traditionally inhabited.
The Gitxaala are reputed to be the first Tsimshians to encounter Europeans formally. According to oral traditions, the Gispwudwada (the Blackfish or Killer Whale clan) acquired the hereditary name He’l from an English ship captain named Hale during this encounter. Following this meeting, the Gitxaala became the first Tsimshian group to use guns. In 1916, William Beynon, a Tsimshian chief and translator working for ethnologist Marius Barbeau, collected extensive information on the hereditary names, territories, and oral traditions of the Kitkatla people. Read more here and here. Explore more of Kitkatla and Dolphin Island here: