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- Chimmesyan, Latham in Jour. Eth. Soc. Lond., I, 154, 1848
(between 53° 30' and 55° 30' N.L.). Latham, Opuscula, 250, 1860.
- Chemmesyan, Latham, Nat. Hist. Man, 300, 1850 (includes
Naaskok, Chemmesyan, Kitshatlah, Kethumish). Latham in Trans.
Philolog. Soc. Lond., 72, 1856. Latham, Opuscula, 339, 1860.
Latham, Elements Comp. Phil., 401, 1862.
- Chymseyans, Kane, Wanderings of an Artist, app., 1859 (a
census of tribes of N.W. coast classified by languages).
- Chimayans, Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, V, 487, 1855 (gives
Kane’s list but with many orthographical changes). Dall in Proc.
Am. Ass., 269, 1869 (published in 1870). 64 Dall in Cont. N.A.
Eth., I, 36, 39, 40, 1877 (probably distinct from T´linkets).
Bancroft, Native Races, III, 564, 607, 1882.
- Tshimsian, Tolmie and Dawson, Comp. Vocabs., 14-25, 1884.
- Tsimpsi-an´, Dall in Proc. Am. Ass., 379, 1885 (mere mention
of family).
X Northern, Scouler in Jour. Roy. Geog. Soc. Lond., XI, 220,
1841 (includes Chimmesyans)
- Haidah, Scouler in Jour. Roy. Geog. Soc. Lond., XI, 220,
1841 (same as his Northern family).
- Naas, Gallatin in Trans. Am. Eth. Soc., II, pt. 1, c, 1848
(including Chimmesyan). Berghaus (1851), Physik. Atlas, map 17,
1852.
- Naass, Gallatin in Trans. Am. Eth. Soc., II, pt. 1, 77,
1848. Gallatin in Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, III, 402, 1853.
- Nasse, Dall in Cont. N.A. Eth., I, 36, 40, 1877 (or Chimsyan).
- Nass, Bancroft, Nat. Races, III, 564, 606, 1882 (includes
Nass and Sebassa Indians of this family, also Hailtza).
- Hydahs, Keane, App. to Stanford’s Comp. (Cent. and So. Am.),
473, 1878 (includes Tsimsheeans, Nass, Skeenas, Sebasses of
present family).
Derivation: From the Chimsian ts´em, “on;” kcian, “main river:”
“On the main (Skeena) river.”
This name appears in a paper of Latham’s published in 1848. To it is
referred a vocabulary of Tolmie’s. The area where it is spoken is
said by Latham to be 50° 30' and 55° 30'. The name has become
established by long usage, and it is chiefly on this account that it
has been given preference over the Naas of Gallatin of the same
year. The latter name was given by Gallatin to a group of languages
now known to be not related, viz, Hailstla, Haceltzuk Billechola,
and Chimeysan. Billechola belongs under Salishan, a family name of
Gallatin’s of 1836.
Were it necessary to take Naas as a family name it would best apply
to Chimsian, it being the name of a dialect and village of Chimsian
Indians, while it has no pertinency whatever to Hailstla and
Haceltzuk, which are closely related and belong to a family quite
distinct from the Chimmesyan. As stated above, however, the term
Naas is rejected in favor of Chimmesyan of the same date.
For the boundaries of this family the linguistic map published by
Tolmie and Dawson, in 1884, is followed.
Principal Tribes
Following is a list of the Chimmesyan tribes, according to Boas:32
A. Nasqa´:
Nasqa´.
Gyitksa´n.
B. Tsimshian proper:
Ts´emsia´n.
Gyits´umrä´lon.
Gyits´ala´ser.
Gyitqa´tla.
Gyitg·a´ata.
Gyidesdzo´.
Population.—The Canadian Indian
Report for 1888 records a total for all the tribes of this family of
5,000. In the fall of 1887 about 1,000 of these Indians, in charge
of Mr. William Duncan, removed to Annette Island, about 60 miles
north of the southern boundary of Alaska, near Port Chester, where
they have founded a new settlement called New Metlakahtla. Here
houses have been erected, day and industrial schools established,
and the Indians are understood to be making remarkable progress in
civilization.
Indian Linguistic Families of America North of Mexico, 1891
Linguistic
Families
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