FINAL-TERM PAPER

HAISLA LANGUAGE

AUSTRALIA AND PACIFIC STUDIES

Andriyani Marentek, S.S, MA, Ph.D.
Kevin Y. Robot, S.IP, M.Hum.

By;
Benedict Marcel Mawa
18091102086

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES
UNIVERSITAS SAM RATULANGI
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
2020
 Preface
Thank to Almighty God who has given His bless to me for finishing this paper assignment. This
paper contains about indigenous language in Canada which is “Haisla”.

Hopefully, this paper can help the readers to expand their knowledge about the indigenous language
in Canada especially Haisla.
 I. Introduction

The Haisla language, X̄a’islak̓ala or X̌àh̓isl̩ ak̓ala, is a First Nations language spoken by

the Haisla people of the North Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, who
are based in the village of Kitaamat 10 km from the town of Kitimat at the head of the Douglas
Channel, a 120 km fjord that serves as a waterway for the Haisla as well as for
the aluminum smelter and accompanying port of the town of Kitimat. The Haisla and their
language, along with that of the neighbouring Heiltsuk and Wuikinuxv peoples, were in the past
incorrectly called "Northern Kwakiutl".
Today’s Haisla Nation is an amalgamation of two historic bands – the Kitamaat of the Douglas
and Devastation channels and the Kitlope of the upper Princess Royal Channel and Gardner
Canal. Neighbouring nations include the Heiltsuk and Wuikinuxv bands of the Coast Tsimshian
peoples.

Living and working on the water has always been important to the Haisla, and that remains so
today. The Haisla people have lived off the land and water resources of the Douglas Channel and
our traditional territory for hundreds of years, and protection of those resources for future
generations is a strong commitment by every Haisla member.

“Our territory’s resources have sustained us for generations, providing us with food, shelter, and
livelihood. We have worked hard to harvest food, build our villages, and develop the resources
we need to survive. The land is connected to our past, our culture, and now, our future.”
 II. Vocabularies
The Haisla language is spoken by the descendants of the Gitamaat and Kitlope bands from the
Kitimat area of the northern coast of British Columbia. Haisla is one of the Wakashan tongues,
related closely to Kwak’wala (previously called Kwakiutl) and Heiltsuk (Bellabella) and more
distantly to the Nuuchahnulth (Nootka), Nitinat and Makah. The Wakashan Language Family is
one of the six language families of the northern Northwest Coast cultural area.

Haisla names and words are written in a phonetic alphabet developed to allow the sounds of the
Haisla language to be distinguished. Several different scientifically accurate alphabets have been
used for writing Haisla. Haisla alphabet devised by Emmon Bach.
Haisla alphabet and pronunciation

Haisla has a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person, as well as their plurals. Haisla does not have a large focus
on number, with the word for begʷánem standing for both 'people' and 'person' depending on its
context. Haisla also has inclusive and exclusive endings, in reference to if "we" or "us" includes
the person being spoken to. Haisla has gender-neutral pronouns, with no distinction between
'him' and 'her'.
All Northern Wakashan languages display elaborate systems of third-person pronominal clitics.
These usually include distinct case forms for object, subject, and instrument or possessor. Unlike
Kwakw'ala, Haisla and the other Northern Wakashan languages lack prenominal elements.
Haisla, however, does make use of the independent demonstrative forms qi, qu, etc., which serve
as optional yet frequently occurring first elements in nominal groups.

Haisla Vocabularies
English (Français) Haisla words
One (Un) N'aukw

Two (Deux) Màlaukw

Three (Trois) Yudùkw

Four (Quatre) Muukw

Five (Cinq) Sk'aukw

Man (Homme) Wìsəm

Woman (Femme) Ğənəm

Dog (Chien) W'às

Sun (Soleil) N'aqwəla

Water (Eau) W'ap

White (Blanc) Mùqwa

Yellow (Jeune) Tìҳsdu

Red (Rouge) Ł'àqwa

Black (Noir) C'ùłəla

Eat (Manger) Həmsa

See (Voir) Dùqwəla

Sing (Chanter) Həna

Leave (Partir) Bua

III. Language Revitalization Measures

The Haisla social system is based on matrilineal clans. Eight clans (Eagle, Beaver, Crow, Killer
Whale, Wolf, Frog, Raven, and Salmon) make up the community, each clan with its own chief,
resources area, and winter village. Clan distinctions and connections remain today, Haisla culture
combines traditional heritage with Canadian culture. The Na’Na’Kila Institute was established in
1998 to help protect and encourage development of Haisla culture, including language.

Na’Na’Kila helped bring about the repatriation of a Haisla totem pole that had been removed in
1929 and was missing for more than 60 years. It was discovered in the Museum of Ethnography
in Stockholm in 1991 and, after years of negotiation, it was returned to Kitamaat on July 1, 2006.
In exchange for it’s safe return, the Haisla carved a replica pole to gift to the museum in
Stockholm.

Most Haisla continue to carry on the traditions of hunting, berry picking, gathering and fishing.
Every spring, Haisla family groups still travel to the Kemano River for oolichan fishing. At this
time, the village is full of the rich smell of the fish smoking. After a long, hard North Coast
winter, oolichan are the first fish returning to spawn in local rivers. The Haisla use oolichan for
almost everything, from food to medicine. Haisla people learned to boil oolichan and make it
into a pure white grease, becoming experts producing a quality well known up and down BC’s
Coast. Haisla people still trade this valuable commodity with neighbouring villages.

IV. Conclusion
Though clan distinctions and connections remain today, Haisla culture combines traditional
heritage with Canadian culture. The Haisla people have occupied lands for over 9000 years. For
hundreds of years the Haisla people have occupied many village sites throughout their territory.

References
https://haisla.ca/
http://www.languagegeek.com/wakashan/xaislakala.html
https://coastfunds.ca/first-nations/haisla-nation/