is the Haisla Nation, with its offices in Kitimaat Village. Ellis Ross was a prominent elected Chief Councillor of the Haisla Nation, and one of the first First Nations leaders in Canada to team up with big oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) companies. He was full-time councillor from 2003 to 2016, and was followed by Crystal Smith, the current Acting Chief. Haisla clan system Historically there were six clans within the Haisla people, each named after an animal that had historical significance to the tribe. It is believed that the sixth clan, the Crow, is nearly extinct and has merged with the Raven clan. Each tribe has its own principle chief (Xay’mas), and they would meet whenever needed to discuss issues that would affect the entire tribe. These clan chiefs were very involved in their members' lives, including arranging marriages that would benefit the clan, distributing wealth, and building alliances between clans. The chiefs could take more than one wife, and wives of deceased chiefs could also be inherited by the new chief. The Haisla people were some of the few northern North American indigenous nations that had a tiered class system consisting of noblemen, commoners and slaves. Nobleman had privileges that included participation in secret rituals, and the authority to direct commoners and slaves in labour activities. The nobility was recognized by their piercings: earlobes for the boys, and the lower lip for the girls. Commoners were free to live as they would but couldn't participate in tribal governance. Slaves were generally war prisoners, were expected to be completely subservient, and could be killed at will. Clan membership is inherited maternally, with titles and inheritance passing from uncle to nephew instead of the paternal father to son. It is believed that this clan system was inherited from the migration of Tsimshian women as they spread throughout the northern tribes. Each clan has its own unique creation story, in conjunction with the entire tribe’s creation story. Eagle (ai 'ǐksdukuyinihu, from ai 'ĭksdukuyå) Crests: eagle, sea otter, ermine, owl, shag, hawk, halibut. Sometimes referred to as Owl Clan. Clan cry / call: hai hai (imitation of the eagle scream) Beaver (gĭtsǎ'k [Tsimshian] kaulu'n [Haisla equivalent]) Crests: beaver, dorsal fin of a dogfish, fireweed, beavers house, human figure holding its knees, k!yEk!a'n (giant beaver), posts or hat rings carved to look like beaver cuttings. Sometimes referred to as the Dogfish Clan.