Teachers interested in working in small schools set in beautiful locales will want to look into Haida, Tsimshian , Haisla and Nisga’a schools. With rugged beauty, friendly people, and affordable living, this part of the North Coast and Haida Gwaii is home to 12 First Nations schools, all of them small schools that embody local First Nations values and traditions.
The North Coast of BC is a heavily forested and mountainous region. The Skeena, British Columbia’s second largest river, flows into the Pacific Ocean at Prince Rupert. It has been an important transportation link and food source for the First Nations people for more than 8,000 years.
In 1992, the Nisga’a First Nations people signed the first modern-day treaty with the governments of Canada and British Columbia, making the Nass River Valley formal Nisga’a territory.
There are 11 First Nation groups operating 12 schools in the Haida/Tsimshian/Haisla/Nisga’a region.
The region encompasses the communities of: Gitwinksihlkw, Greenville, Hartley Bay, Kitamaat, Kitkatla, Lax Kw’alaams, Massett, New Aiyansh, Skidegate, and Terrace.
In this region there are many different First Nations communities and the following Tribal Councils and governments: Haida Nation and the Nisga’a Lisisms Government.
Some schools in this region are Band-Operated schools, while schools in the Nisga’a Villages of Gitwinksihlk and New Aiyansh are provincially-operated First Nations Schools of School District #92 (Nisga’a).
Here, you will find a balanced quality of life with affordable houses, pleasant summers and snowy winters. Communities are generally small and intimate.
A range of outdoor activities, including world-class sport fishing, skiing, kayaking, biking trails and hiking are close at hand. When the snow falls, you can snowshoe, sled, snowmobile, cross-country ski or even snowboard.
The rugged and beautiful, Haida Gwaii (formerly called the Queen Charlotte Islands) features the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Centre at Haida Heritage Centre at Qay’llnagaay.
Many communities are remote but with excellent transportation options including the Kitimat-Terrace Regional Airport, Sandspit International Airport, Masset Municipal Airport and seaplanes, as well as BC Ferries Service.
For more information about local First Nations cultures of this region, visit the Nisga’a Museum, Haida Heritage Centre.