Abstract

This paper presents the preliminary results of a recording and conservation project at a little known, native, historic cemetery located at the mouth of the Nass River, along the B.C./Alaska boundary. In conjunction with the Gingolx Band Council (Nisga'a First Nation) the project was undertaken with the goal of simply defining the actual size of the graveyard, both spatially and in terms of the number of interments. It soon became apparent that the cemetery contained a wealth of information pertaining to a variety of cultural groups. The paper will discuss; 1) the discovery of the remains of the second Hudson's Bay Company fort on the west coast of B.C., Fort Nass (1831- 1834), at the cemetery, 2) the discovery of high ranking Nisga'a chiefs intered at the cemetery, 3) the recovery of headstones which are valuable and vibrant examples of Nisga'a art (i.e., clan crest figures carved in marble), and 4) a small Japanese section of the cemetery where a Japanese war memorial dated to June 1918 is located.