About Kitselas

Kitselas  is a progressive Nation. We are proud of our heritage and our achievements, both in the past and the present.

The Kitelas Traditional Territory is located in Northwest British Columbia. Our territory surrounds the City of Terrace, the mighty Skeena River and beyond.

Our population today is approximately 700 people. About half of our people live on the Kitselas reserve of Gitaus, a 15-minute drive east of Terrace. Others live in Kulspai, a smaller reserve west of Terrace. The rest of our population is spread throughout Vancouver, Prince George, Prince Rupert and other places.

The Kitselas Canyon, located in Gitaus, is the heart of the Kitselas nation. The word for Kitselas in our traditional Tsimshian language of Smalgax is ‘Gitselasu’. And Gitselasu means ‘People of the Canyon’.

Strategic Framework

All decisions made by the Council regarding activities in and around our Traditional Territory and community are based around the Kitselas Vision and Values set out in our Strategic Framework (link to pdf).

Our Vision

Kitselas First Nation is a financially self-sufficient and self-governing Nation that provides responsible leadership in all that we do.

Our Values

We stand united, supporting each other unconditionally.

We share and create knowledge, according to our cultural teachings, to build a stronger future for our people.

We uphold the highest level professionalism including being knowledgeable, kind, polite, and solution-oriented and time conscious.

We role model integrity practicing honesty, fairness, respect, transparency, and the healthy use of humor.

We draw our resilience from our commitment to one another, learning from the past, and acting in the present while planning for the future.