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In early August of 1998, newspapers around the world heralded a landmark agreement between Canada and the Nisga'a (formerly Nishga) Nation. Seen as a model for correcting the atavistic colonial policies of the province of British Columbia , Nisga'a self-government was set up over 750 square miles of the Nass River.

Using their political and public relations savvy, Nisga'a convinced Canadian officials that the Nass was entirely their river, much in keeping with common anthropological and legal principles holding that each river throughout the Americas was home to a single cultural and tribal entity. In many cases, this has been true. But for the Nass, whose very name is from the Tlingit just to the north in Alaska and means bounty, bellyful, it has never been the case.

This book, meticulously drawing upon both European academic sources and native traditions of diplomacy, scrutiny, and respect, forcefully argues multiple homelands. Scholars of and for the Gitksan have long researched the Nass, but their findings have largely been ignored because they show a truly complex situation, far from the simplistic "one nation, on river" argument favored by lazy courts.

Among the bounties of the Nass that attracted and fed large populations was the early spring run of candle fish (eulachon, locally known as hooligans), which arrived so rich in life-sustaining oil that one Coast Tsimshian word for them is savior. The rendering of and trade in this oil from the mouth of and Nass made Coast Tsimshian chiefs very wealthy, encouraging them to sponsor sophisticated artworks, dramas, rituals, feasts, and, combining features of all, potlatches, the hallmark of this region.

Thus, after the Tlingit were driven north from the Nass beginning about 1,000 years ago, the Coast Tsimshian occupied the mouth during peak fishing season, the Nisga'a were mid river, beyond the estuary of Portland Inlet, and the Gitksan, close relatives in language and culture, occupied the head-lands. Grease trails were the routes used by slave to move rendered oil overland between the Nass and Skeena rivers . The Courts, government, and recent rulings have all but ignored this complex international situation. The book starts with the Adaawkl, sacred histories preserved by ranking members of North Coast communities, often the head of a communal household. My own recent study of those histories of the Coast Tsimshian found at least 15 eras associated with named people and places that cover the last 10,000 years. Claims are attributed not to individuals but to houses, crest, and other kinship groupings. The named leader only serves as steward for the corporate right of the household.

Chapters trace the claims of the modern Gitanyow (formerly Kitwancool) and three Gitksan communities. Comparisons with the Nisga'a own claims and with European records detail when, where, and how Gitksan lived on their lands in full view of visitors and neighbors. The conclusion summarizes all of the these complexities.

The book is filled with appealing maps, labeled with both native and English names, and contains supporting statements from inland nations. It is too bad that arduous attention to detail and such a convincing historical overview have failed repeatedly to convince the provincial legal mind.

Jay Miller, University of Washington

modified May 7th, 2002