Anderson Margaret Seguin. The Allied Tribes Tsimshian of North Coastal British Columbia: Social Organization, Economy and Trade

2006. — 124 p.The Coast Tsimshian tribes ancestral to the contemporary Allied Tsimshian Tribes have a highly distinctive social organization and culture emphasizing ownership of land and resources, trade within and among communities, the accumulation of wealth, and the deployment of that wealth to advance social and political objectives. Prolific salmon runs were the economic foundation on which Tsimshian society depended, and extensive trade of preserved fish and other products was a prominent activity of critical significance to their economy and social organization, and was the major source of wealth.These patterns were established centuries before contact with Europeans, and can still be observed in contemporary forms.
This report sets out my opinion regarding the social organization, economy, and trade of the Allied Tsimshian Tribes, and provides representative examples of the evidence on which my conclusions are based. A set of topical Primary Source Compilations is provided with and comprises part of this report; these provide fuller evidence relevant to the topics covered in this report.