The Haisla (also Xa’islak’ala, X̄a’islak̕ala, X̌àʔislak̕ala, X̄a’islak’ala, X̣aʔislak’ala, Xa'islak'ala) are a First Nations is the current title used by Canada to describe the various societies of the indigenous peoples, called Native Americans in the U.S. They have also been known as Indians, Native Canadians, Aboriginal Americans, Amer-Indians, or Aboriginals, and are officially called Indians in the Indian Act, which... First Nation people living at Kitamaat in British Columbia (Flag of British Columbia) (Coat of Arms of British Columbia) Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Splendour without diminishment) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Lieutenant Governor Iona Campagnolo Area 944,735 km² (5th)  - Land 925,186 km²  - Water... British Columbia. Haisla also refers to their language.

Language

Haisla is a North Wakashan (Kwakiutlan) language spoken by about several hundred people. Haisla is geographically the northernmost Wakashan language. Its nearest Wakashan neighbor is Oowekyala. Haisla is related to the other North Wakashan languages, Oowekyala, Heiltsuk, and Kwakiutl is a term used to describe a group of Canadian First Nations, numbering about 5,500, who live in British Columbia on northern Vancouver Island, Queen Charlotte Island, and the mainland. The term they prefer to describe themselves is Kwakwakawakw, with their indigenous language, part of the Wakashan... Kwakiutl.

The name Haisla is derived from the Haisla word x̣àʔisla or x̣àʔisəla '(those) living at the rivermouth, living downriver'.

The Haisla language consists of two dialects (or sublanguages):

• Kitamaat
• Kitlope (a.k.a. X̣enaksialak’ala)

Links

• www.haisla.ca Haisla Nation website
• The Haisla Languages (http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~ebach/haisla.htm) (Emmon Bach's page)
  • Haisla text: Dyeing (as told by Jeffrey L. Legaic) (http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~ebach/dye.htm) (includes .WAV sound file)
• X̄a’islak̕ala / X̌àʔislak̕ala / X̄a’islak’ala (Haisla) (http://www.languagegeek.com/wakashan/xaislakala.html) (Chris Harvey’s Native Language, Font, & Keyboard)
  • X̄a’islak̕ala / X̌àʔislak̕ala / X̄a’islak’ala (Haisla) Example Text (http://www.languagegeek.com/wakashan/haislatext.html)
• Bibliography of Materials on the Haisla Language (http://www.ydli.org/biblios/haisbib.htm) (YDLI)

Bibliography

• Mithun, Marianne. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23228-7 (hbk); ISBN 0-521-29875-X.