Metlakatla First Nation is a

band government In Canada, an Indian band (), First Nation band () or simply band, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subject to the ''Indian Act'' (i.e. status Indians or First Nations). Bands are typically small groups of people: the largest in ...

based at Metlakatla on the

North Coast of British Columbia The British Columbia Coast, popularly referred to as the BC Coast or simply the Coast, is a geographic region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. As the entire western continental coastline of Canada along the Pacific Ocean is in the pr ...

, Canada, to the north of the city of

Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 ( O.S.) 7 December 1619 (N.S.)– 29 November 1682 (O.S.) December 1682 (N.S) was an English-German army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first rose to ...

. They are a member of the

Tsimshian First Nations Tsimshian First Nations is a treaty council based on the British Columbia Coast near Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada. Membership The Tsimshian First Nations treaty council is made up of four band governments including: BC Treaty Process In t ...

treaty council.

Chief and Councillors

BC Treaty Process

In the

British Columbia Treaty Process The British Columbia Treaty Process (BCTP) is a land claims negotiation process started in 1993 to resolve outstanding issues, including claims to un-extinguished indigenous rights, with British Columbia's First Nations. Three treaties have ...

, the Metlakatla First Nation in Stage 5.

Demographics

Band number 673, the Metlakatla First Nation has 1,101 members.

DNA testing

In 2013, anthropologists from the US and Canada conducted a mitochondrial DNA mapping study on the 5,500-year-old remains of a woman found on Lucy Island, B.C., and conclusively determined that she had genetic links with living relatives from the Metlakatla Nation: proving that the Metlakatla have been living in the region for over 200 generations. In November 2016, a study published in ''

Nature Communications ''Nature Communications'' is a peer-reviewed, open access, scientific journal published by Nature Portfolio since 2010. It is a multidisciplinary journal that covers the natural sciences, including physics, chemistry, earth sciences, medic ...

'' linked the genome of 25 Indigenous people who inhabited modern-day

Prince Rupert, British Columbia Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Kaien Island near the Alaskan panhandle. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and has a population of 12, ...

1000 to 6000 years ago with their descendants in the Metlakatla First Nation. The study validated the

oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information from people, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people who pa ...

of the Metlakatla, which had maintained their presence in the region for thousands of years.

References

Tsimshian governments North Coast of British Columbia {{BritishColumbia-stub