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CA-K195Indigenous peoples & reconciliation

‘Wii Niisł Puuntk (Lucille Clifton), Gitga’at matriarch

Hartley Bay, British Columbia, home of the Gitga’at First Nation, photographed in 2007.
Hartley Bay, British Columbia, home of the Gitga’at First Nation, photographed in 2007. Hartley Bay (386749845) · Shawn from Airdrie, Canada · Photo source · Photo licence: CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.
Factual accuracy review: No recorded challenge

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‘Wii Niisł Puuntk (Lucille Clifton, 1876–1962), a Laxsgiik (Eagle Clan) matriarch, exemplifies the centuries-old leadership role of prominent women in matrilineal Gitga’at (Tsimshian) society. A healer and midwife with deep knowledge of plants, she passed on ancestral knowledge and cultural practices as Hartley Bay faced land loss and disruptive government policies.

Scope & context

Her role and legacy as recognized in her designation, not the full history of the Gitga’at First Nation.

Sources behind this record

1