Gingolx
Encyclopedia
Gingolx is a Nisga'a
Village in the Nass River
valley in British Columbia
, Canada
. The village population is approximately 341 people. Gingolx is one of four Nisga'a villages that make up the Nisga'a Nation. The community itself has four clans which are Killer Whale, Eagle, Raven and Wolf. Gingolx's government usually consisted of one chief and 8-10 other council members.
The name Gingolx comes from the Nisga'a language
words meaning "place of the skulls." When attacked by another nation or when the land was intruded, the people of Gingolx fought back and won. They hung their enemies' skulls on sticks, lining them up along the river as a warning.
, an Anglican medical missionary who succeeded the Rev. Robert A. Doolan, who had begun the Anglican Nass mission at Greenville, a.k.a. Laxgalts'ap. Gingolx's first European type buildings (including houses, a school, and a church) were all built in 1879.
In the 1890s the Rev. William Henry Collison
joined Tomlinson at the mission. He died there in 1922, and his memoirs describe the community in detail.
, Gingolx was once an isolated village, the only ways able to get in being boat or plane. This isolation combined with the surrounding mountains meant Gingolx would often suffer power outages due to snow during the winter months. Residents could go as long as 3 weeks without power until helicopters could be flown in to fix the lines.
In 2003, a 28 km road from Gingolx to Greenville was completed, which connected Gingolx to the other three Nisga'a communities. This road, the Kincolith Extension Highway, links Gingolx to the Nisga'a Highway
with connections to the Yellowhead, and Cassiar Highways and cost $34 million to build.
In 2010 the Supreme Court of Canada released a landmark decision in the Tercon Contractors vs British Columbia case, awarding $3 million in damages to Tercon. The subject of that case was the tendering process, in which the court found the government had improperly awarded the contract to a company which was not an authorized bidder, and the contract in question was the contract to built this road from Gingolx to Laxgalts'ap.
and hosts Nathan Barton Elementary School. The secondary school is in Gitlakdamix
.
and Gingolx Ceremonial Dancers, who perform at weddings, funerals, and other occasions such as Crabfest, Seafest, River Boat Days, and the Nisga'a New Year celebration, Hobiyee. Hobiyee is an annual celebration, in the older days, when the moon was shaped like a bowl, the first person to see it would shout, HOOBIXIM YEE. It was a celebration and recognition that wild life would be in abundance again.
Hiking and mountaineering is common, and one of the nearby mountains has a "look-out" which offers brilliant views from three stages on the trail.
In 1947, the Sons of Kincolith won the inaugural All Native Basketball tournament.
, Chilliwack
, Prairie Oyster
, Doc Walker
, Buffy Sainte-Marie
, Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
, Jeff Healey
, Tom Lavin of the Powder Blues Band
, Nazareth
, Tom Cochrane
, Murray Porter, and the Legends of London among other local bands, and tribute bands from across Canada, and the United States.
The festival is centered on the medium sized stage set up and is accompanied by the many vendors lining the streets. The stage itself is monitored by professional sound and lighting crews.
Crabfest has been a success for the small town of Gingolx bringing in tourists from around the world, boosting the economy greatly with the effects felt well after the festival is over.
There has been negative effects of the festival itself. The abundant supply of Chinook Salmon
in the river bordering the town has been largely untapped by tourists until the lure of the music led to the discovery of the large salmon and has caused the number of spawning salmon to drop below natural levels. This has led to the closure of fishing on the river which may lead to a large drop in tourism apart from the crabfest.
Nisga'a
The Nisga’a , often formerly spelled Nishga and spelled in the Nisga’a language as Nisga’a, are an Indigenous nation or First Nation in Canada. They live in the Nass River valley of northwestern British Columbia. Their name comes from a combination of two Nisga’a words: Nisk’-"top lip" and...
Village in the Nass River
Nass River
The Nass River is a river in northern British Columbia, Canada. It flows from the Coast Mountains southwest to Nass Bay, a sidewater of Portland Inlet, which connects to the North Pacific Ocean via the Dixon Entrance...
valley in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The village population is approximately 341 people. Gingolx is one of four Nisga'a villages that make up the Nisga'a Nation. The community itself has four clans which are Killer Whale, Eagle, Raven and Wolf. Gingolx's government usually consisted of one chief and 8-10 other council members.
The name Gingolx comes from the Nisga'a language
Nisga'a language
Nisga’a is a Tsimshianic language of the Nisga'a people of northwestern British Columbia. Nisga'a people, however, do not like the term Tshimshianic as they feel that it gives precedence to Coast Tsimshian. Nisga’a is very closely related to Gitksan...
words meaning "place of the skulls." When attacked by another nation or when the land was intruded, the people of Gingolx fought back and won. They hung their enemies' skulls on sticks, lining them up along the river as a warning.
Modern history
Gingolx was founded as a permanent settlement in 1867 by the Christian missionaries who came down river by raft. The founder of the mission was the Rev. Robert TomlinsonRobert Tomlinson
Robert Tomlinson was an Irish medical missionary for the Church of England, known for his work with the indigenous peoples of British Columbia....
, an Anglican medical missionary who succeeded the Rev. Robert A. Doolan, who had begun the Anglican Nass mission at Greenville, a.k.a. Laxgalts'ap. Gingolx's first European type buildings (including houses, a school, and a church) were all built in 1879.
In the 1890s the Rev. William Henry Collison
William Henry Collison
William Henry Collison , also known as W. H. Collison, was an Anglican missionary among First Nations people in coastal British Columbia, Canada....
joined Tomlinson at the mission. He died there in 1922, and his memoirs describe the community in detail.
Isolation
Because of its location on the Nass River near the Alaska PanhandleAlaska Panhandle
Southeast Alaska, sometimes referred to as the Alaska Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, which lies west of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The majority of Southeast Alaska's area is part of the Tongass National Forest, the United...
, Gingolx was once an isolated village, the only ways able to get in being boat or plane. This isolation combined with the surrounding mountains meant Gingolx would often suffer power outages due to snow during the winter months. Residents could go as long as 3 weeks without power until helicopters could be flown in to fix the lines.
In 2003, a 28 km road from Gingolx to Greenville was completed, which connected Gingolx to the other three Nisga'a communities. This road, the Kincolith Extension Highway, links Gingolx to the Nisga'a Highway
Nisga'a Highway
The Nisga'a Highway is a highway that starts in Terrace, British Columbia, Canada at Highway 16. The route provides paved access to the settlements of the Nisga'a Nation - Gitlakdamix , Gitwinksihlkw , Gingolx , Laxgalts'ap , Nass Camp and others...
with connections to the Yellowhead, and Cassiar Highways and cost $34 million to build.
In 2010 the Supreme Court of Canada released a landmark decision in the Tercon Contractors vs British Columbia case, awarding $3 million in damages to Tercon. The subject of that case was the tendering process, in which the court found the government had improperly awarded the contract to a company which was not an authorized bidder, and the contract in question was the contract to built this road from Gingolx to Laxgalts'ap.
Economy
Gingolx's geographic location means fishing, forestry and tourism are its main sources of revenue. There is a successful "Salmon Enhancement Program" situated behind the village at Gingolx's First Creek.Education
The community is served by School District 92 Nisga'aSchool District 92 Nisga'a
School District 92 Nisga'a is a school district in British Columbia, Canada. Situated in the Nass River valley it covers the First Nations area of the Nisga'a people north of Terrace...
and hosts Nathan Barton Elementary School. The secondary school is in Gitlakdamix
Gitlakdamix, British Columbia
Gitlakdamix or Gitlaxt'aamiks or New Aiyansh is a Nisga'a Village about 100km north of Terrace, in the heart of the Nass River valley, Canada. It is one of four Nisga'a villages...
.
Culture and recreation
Gingolx has its own concert bandConcert band
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
and Gingolx Ceremonial Dancers, who perform at weddings, funerals, and other occasions such as Crabfest, Seafest, River Boat Days, and the Nisga'a New Year celebration, Hobiyee. Hobiyee is an annual celebration, in the older days, when the moon was shaped like a bowl, the first person to see it would shout, HOOBIXIM YEE. It was a celebration and recognition that wild life would be in abundance again.
Hiking and mountaineering is common, and one of the nearby mountains has a "look-out" which offers brilliant views from three stages on the trail.
In 1947, the Sons of Kincolith won the inaugural All Native Basketball tournament.
Crabfest
This annual summer outdoor music festival, was started in 2004 by Community Development Worker Ellen Torng, with the assistance of local resident, Nadine Clayton until the end of 2005. Crabfest has since been coordinated by Michele Stevens along with the Gingolx Arts Society Board. It has attracted many tourists due to its eye catching headliners and entertaining musicians. The festival is two days in length and has featured such well known names as TrooperTrooper (band)
Trooper is a Juno Award winning Canadian rock band that developed from a group formed by vocalist Ramon McGuire and guitarist Brian Smith in 1975...
, Chilliwack
Chilliwack (band)
Chilliwack are a Canadian rock band that had their heyday during the 1970s and 1980s. Although they are a Canadian band, the members were all born in, as well as reside in, the United States of America. They are perhaps best remembered for their five biggest songs "My Girl ", "I Believe", "Whatcha...
, Prairie Oyster
Prairie Oyster
Prairie Oyster is an award-winning Canadian country music group from Ontario. They were named Country Group or Duo of the year six times by both the Canadian Country Music Association and the Juno Awards. The band also won the Bud Country Fans' Choice Award from the CCMA in 1994...
, Doc Walker
Doc Walker
Doc Walker is a country music group from Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. They have won Canadian Country Music Awards and had radio hits with the songs "I Am Ready" and "The Show is Free" from the 2003 album Everyone Aboard. In 2001 they released the album Curve...
, Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie, OC is a Canadian Cree singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. Throughout her career in all of these areas, her work has focused on issues of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her singing and writing repertoire includes...
, Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show was an American pop, country and soft rock band, formed around Union City, New Jersey in 1967 as The Chocolate Papers. They enjoyed considerable commercial success in the 1970s with hit singles including "Sylvia's Mother", "The Cover of the Rolling Stone", "A Little Bit...
, Jeff Healey
Jeff Healey
Norman Jeffrey "Jeff" Healey was a blind Canadian jazz and blues-rock vocalist and guitarist who attained musical and personal popularity, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s.-Early life:...
, Tom Lavin of the Powder Blues Band
Powder Blues Band
The Powder Blues Band is a Canadian blues/pop/jazz band formed in 1978 in Vancouver. Its first album Uncut went double platinum in Canada. The second album Thirsty Ears was similarly popular...
, Nazareth
Nazareth (band)
Nazareth is a Scottish hard rock band, founded in 1968, that had several hits in the UK in the early 1970s, and established an international audience with their 1975 album Hair of the Dog. Perhaps their best-known hit single was a cover of the ballad "Love Hurts", in 1975...
, Tom Cochrane
Tom Cochrane
Tom Cochrane, OC Canadian musician and humanitarian, best known for his hit songs "Life Is a Highway", "Lunatic Fringe", "Human Race" and "I Wish You Well". Cochrane fronted the Canadian rock band Red Rider and has won seven Juno Awards...
, Murray Porter, and the Legends of London among other local bands, and tribute bands from across Canada, and the United States.
The festival is centered on the medium sized stage set up and is accompanied by the many vendors lining the streets. The stage itself is monitored by professional sound and lighting crews.
Crabfest has been a success for the small town of Gingolx bringing in tourists from around the world, boosting the economy greatly with the effects felt well after the festival is over.
There has been negative effects of the festival itself. The abundant supply of Chinook Salmon
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the pacific salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King salmon, Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon...
in the river bordering the town has been largely untapped by tourists until the lure of the music led to the discovery of the large salmon and has caused the number of spawning salmon to drop below natural levels. This has led to the closure of fishing on the river which may lead to a large drop in tourism apart from the crabfest.
Prominent people of Gingolx
- Nelson Clayton, Chief Councilor
- Norman TaitNorman TaitNorman Tait is a Canadian First Nations artist and totem pole carver from the Nisga'a nation of northwestern British Columbia.He was born in Kincolith on the Nass River in B.C., the son of Josiah Tait, also a carver and the great-grandson of Chief Alfred Watson Mountain, Sganism Sim'oogit.He is a...
, Master Carver - Alver Tait, Master Carver
- Eddie Benson, Carver
- Murphy Oliver Stanley, Master Carver.
- Nathan Barton, Gingolx Chief. Barton pushed for the construction of a new administration building, and the local elementary school which now bears his name.