Wii Niisl Puuntk (Lucille Clifton) National Historic Person
Hartley Bay, British Columbia
Lucille Clifton and her husband.
© Courtesy of Teresa Robinson for Gitga'at First Nation / Parks Canada | Courtoisie de Teresa Robinson for Gitga'at First Nation / Parcs Canada
Address :
Hartley Bay, British Columbia
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2016-05-02
Life Date:
1876 to 1962
Event, Person, Organization:
-
Gitga’at (Tsimshian)
(People, group)
-
Laxsgiik (Eagle Clan)
(People, group)
Other Name(s):
-
Wii Niisl Puuntk (Lucille Clifton) (1876-1962)
(Designation Name)
-
Mooxs
(Other Name)
-
Wii Nii Puun
(Other Name)
-
Wii Niisrl Puunk
(Other Name)
-
No’os (known to everyone as mother or mother of the Band)
(Other Name)
-
Lucille (Lucy) Buxton
(Other Name)
-
Lucille (Lucy) Clifton
(Other Name)
Research Report Number:
2018-CED-SDC-06; 2014-12, 2014-12-A, 2012-09
Importance:
Former Laxsgiik (Eagle Clan) leader, she is an outstanding example of a centuries-old role held by prominent Gitga’at (Tsimshian) women in this matrilineal society, held traditional knowledge and passed on cultural practices
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 445 Hayimlisaxaa Way, Hartley Bay Cultural Centre, Hartley Bay, British Columbia
Honoured and remembered for her teachings, this Laxsgiik (Eagle Clan, House of Sinaxe’et) matriarch held great rights and responsibilities in Gitga’at society. Dedicated to passing on ancestral knowledge, she fought to preserve cultural practices and nurtured spiritual life in her community. She applied her deep understanding of plants and their uses in her work as a healer and midwife. Her memorable feasts celebrated traditional foods and reinforced social protocols and ceremony. As Hartley Bay, which was founded in 1887, faced disruption due to the loss of land and government policies, Lucille Clifton taught generations how to remain Gitga’at.