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Tsimshian Villages
Port (Fort) Simpson
The historical importance of Port Simpson is of particular interest in
its effect on the Coast Tsimshian. The construction of Fort Simpson
immediately changed the lives of these peoples in that traditional winter
villages (except Kitkatla)
were abandoned for the advantages the Fort offered in trade and protection.
In the village surrounding the fort there gathered more than 2,000
Tsimshian who were free for much of the time to pursue their traditional
ceremonies and arts. Centralizing the formerly autonomous groups expanded
the size of the political unit, which came to recognize the leadership
of "super chiefs".
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Port Simpson village and church, August 30, 1878.
Department of Mines and Resources
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A visit to the fishing camps, August 1918.
University of Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia
(UPM neg. 14899)
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