Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw Nations

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Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw Nations Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw Nations, Government Organization, 154 Ba'as Road, Reserve, SK.

The Nakwakto Rapids have been recognized as the fastest tidal surge in the world, running up to 17 knots during peak tid...
10/15/2026

The Nakwakto Rapids have been recognized as the fastest tidal surge in the world, running up to 17 knots during peak tidal changes. The Rapids are the sole entrance to the network of waterways of Seymour Inlet. All of the tidal waters rush past Tremble Island four times a day, twice in each direction. The tide is slack for a few minutes each time the tide changes.

There are four reserves near the entrance to Seymour Inlet.

As we observe National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw Nations are sharing our history.Our h...
09/30/2026

As we observe National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw Nations are sharing our history.

Our history reaches far back to a time of creation and transformation in the myth, human and natural worlds. Our people belong to extended family groups, each with its own origin story where first ancestors descended from the sky or rose up from the sea. Bear, Dzonoqua, Whale, Sisiutl, Thunderbird, Raven, Salmon and many other ancestors and creatures of the natural and supernatural world are carved into our house posts, dishes and tools and we tell their stories in dance and song wearing their masks and regalia. Gwa’sala and ‘Nakwaxda’xw carvers produced work of great quality and this knowledge has been passed down through the generations.

From the first recorded encounter in 1792 between the Gwa’sala at Wyclese and Captain George Vancouver’s crew to the present day, the Gwa’sala and the ‘Nakwaxda’xw have experienced a constant threat to our very existence. Forced to share our territory and our resources with the settlers, we adapted to work in their canneries and in their fishing and forestry industries while maintaining our own way of life, living off the resources in our territory. We have survived the decimation of our populations by disease, the reduction of our territory to small reserves, the near annihilation of our forests, the destruction of our fisheries, the theft of our language and our children by the residential school system, the suppression of our cultural and spiritual practices and, in 1964, the relocation from our Homelands.

To read more of our history, visit our booklet here:
https://www.gwanaknations.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/History.pdf

The Deserters Group are important resource sites for halibut and seaweed. When the Mapakum reserve was allotted in the 1...
09/29/2026

The Deserters Group are important resource sites for halibut and seaweed. When the Mapakum reserve was allotted in the 1890’s, the village had nine houses and was described as an important halibut and sealing station.

The islands are biologically diverse, providing a feeding area for marine mammals, seabirds, shorebirds and waterfowl. The waters surrounding the islands act as a migratory corridor for several runs of Pacific salmon.

In the 1920s the Gwa’sala people at Takush Harbour decided they wanted their own school. There were no schools within 40...
09/24/2026

In the 1920s the Gwa’sala people at Takush Harbour decided they wanted their own school. There were no schools within 40 miles and the only regular official visits to the village were the monthly mail boat and occasional visits from the United Church Mission Boat, the Thomas Crosby III. The Indian Agent rarely made it to Smith Inlet and constantly complained about the difficulty of reaching the village.

By 1927 and with the help of the United Church the Gwa’sala built a small building to be used as a school and for church services. Dr. J.C. Spencer of the Church Mission asked the Indian Agent, William Halliday, to supply the school with twelve desks, readers and school supplies. Dr. Spencer also recommended that a “young lad” named Walkus be appointed as teacher with a salary of $30 a month.

The young lad was Charlie George Walkus. The Department of Indian Affairs refused the request for desks and the teachers salary but Charlie George Walkus persisted and a year later he began to teach the young children of the village without the assistance of the Department.

In 1928, Miss Winnifred Potter was appointed as the new teacher. She was to receive $4 for each day the school was open. Half of her salary was paid by the Department of Indian Affairs and the other half by the United Church. She had 16 years teaching experience. Twelve double desks were shipped to Smith Inlet and in September 1928, at the end of the canning season, the Takush Day School opened with Miss Potter as teacher, missionary and medical assistant.

In September 2024, the Gwa’sala-‘Nakxwaxda’xw Nations, together with the Government of Canada and the Province of Britis...
09/21/2026

In September 2024, the Gwa’sala-‘Nakxwaxda’xw Nations, together with the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia, signed a landmark coordination agreement to affirm and restore our jurisdiction over child and family services. This agreement marks a meaningful shift toward community-led care, rooted in our cultural laws, traditions, and teachings about the sacred responsibility of raising children.

The agreement recognizes that Indigenous children and families flourish when supported within their own communities, surrounded by loved ones, language, culture, and identity — not separated by systems that have historically caused harm. It outlines how all parties will work together and establishes shared commitments for service coordination, planning, and long-term support through the Galgapothla Family Services Society.

This collaborative work is a powerful step toward self-determination and reconciliation, ensuring that our children grow up safe, strong, and deeply connected to their families and Nation.

In the old stories the Chiefs from Table Island, Gigakh and Neghitl came together at Duxhsi where they called themselves...
09/21/2026

In the old stories the Chiefs from Table Island, Gigakh and Neghitl came together at Duxhsi where they called themselves the Gwa’sala and decided to build a winter village at Gwighelis.

In 1914 the Gwa’sala Chief Sisaxolas made a territorial claim for five miles above Wyclese but only 13.8 acres were reserved at Toksee IR #4, where the village had once stood.

Spring salmon spawned in the Toksee River in the first week of September where the Gwa’sala speared spring that weighed 70 to 80 pounds. The current of the river is so strong that boats had to be pulled up onto the shore to get through to Long Lake and up to Halowis at Smokehouse Creek.

​Duxhsi was also known as a place of healing.

Ba'as is the home community of the ‘Nakwaxda'xw People. An ancient origin site, Ba’as became the principal village of th...
09/18/2026

Ba'as is the home community of the ‘Nakwaxda'xw People. An ancient origin site, Ba’as became the principal village of the ‘Nakwaxda’xw around 1884.

​From their base at Blunden Harbour, the ‘Nakwaxda’xw travelled with the seasons, living off the rich resources of Seymour Inlet and islands like the Deserters Group while working in the canneries and in the commercial fishing industry up and down the coast.

The village with its boardwalk and carved figures was the scene of a vibrant social and cultural life.

A Gwa'sala man is seen testing his strength by lifting a heavy stone. The young man is William Walkus, who is the brothe...
09/17/2026

A Gwa'sala man is seen testing his strength by lifting a heavy stone. The young man is William Walkus, who is the brother of George Walkus. The photo was taken in 1955 in Takush.

There are many stories associated with Dels, an important winter village site in earlier times. Located at the farthest...
09/17/2026

There are many stories associated with Dels, an important winter village site in earlier times. Located at the farthest reaches of the Seymour Inlet watershed at the head of Salmon Arm, Dels is known as a place of origin for the Nakwaxda’xw.

It is shown as a winter village named “Ta-altz” on an 1864 Admiralty Survey Map but it may have been abandoned as a major village site around this time.

The oral and written record suggests a catastrophic event took place here, possibly the smallpox epidemic of 1862. In 1883 there were three houses at Dels but it was not surveyed as a reserve until 1925.

Dals was misnamed as IR #18 Kuthlo.

Sagwembala is an old village site near the mouth of Seymour Inlet at Schooner Passage. In 1883, it had five houses with ...
09/15/2026

Sagwembala is an old village site near the mouth of Seymour Inlet at Schooner Passage. In 1883, it had five houses with gardens and was an important halibut fishing station and hunting area. It eventually became a small 4.5 acre reserve.

In the twentieth century Sagwembala was the winter home to the families of Johnny Nolie, Tommy Johnson and his brother, Willie Johnson and their half-brother, Samson Walkus. John Nolie was also a half brother to Tommy Johnson. Tommy Johnson and Willie Johnson had houses on top of two big rocks. Willie Johnson, later built a floathouse and put it inside a little bay. There were two totem poles and one bighouse in the middle with a carving shed where all the half brothers carved canoes and totem poles.

The village was inhabited well into the 20th century. The tiny 4.5 acre reserve with its five houses and gardens was originally intended to be an 80 acre reserve.

Address

154 Ba'as Road
Reserve, SK
V0N2P0

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

+12509498343

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