Haisla Nation

The Haisla Nation is the band government of the Haisla people in the North Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, centred on the reserve community of Kitamaat Village, which is near the similarly named town of Kitimat. The traditional territory of the Haisla Nation is situated along the Douglas Channel Region of Kitimat of British Columbia’s north coast and includes the Kitlope Valley which is rich in natural resources, especially salmon.

The Haisla Nation includes two once-separate peoples, the Kitamaat and the Kitlope. The Kitlope, also spelled Gitlope, means "people of the rocks" or "people from the opening in the mountains" in the Tsimshian language and was the term used for them by the neighbouring Tsimshian people. They call themselves Henaksiala, while the Tsimshian meaning of the name for the Kitamaat group – whose name for themselves is Haisla – is "people of the snow".

Despite their common names being in Tsimshian, the Haisla people speak the Haisla language, and were, like their language and along with the neighbouring Heiltsuk and Wuikinuxv peoples, incorrectly known in the past as the "Northern Kwakiutl". The community is renowned for its delicious eulachon grease, and has produced many talented West Coast artists such as Derek Wilson, Henry Robertson, Barry Wilson, Lyle Wilson and Sammy Robinson. The Haisla Braves still hold the longest winning record in the All Native Basketball Tournament in Prince Rupert, B.C. from the 1970s.

Award winning fiction writer Eden Robinson and her sister, CBC broadcaster Carla Robinson are part of the Haisla and Heiltsuk Nations.

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