Gingolx

Gingolx /ˈɡɪn.ɡɒlx/ (Ging̱olx or Kincolith) is a Nisga'a Village in the Nass River valley in British Columbia, Canada. The village population is approximately 341 people. Gingolx is one of four Nisga'a villages that make up the Nisga'a Nation. The community itself has four clans which are Killer Whale, Eagle, Raven and Wolf. Gingolx's government usually consisted of one chief and 8-10 other council members.

The name Gingolx comes from the Nisga'a language words meaning "place of the skulls." When attacked by another nation or when the land was intruded, the people of Gingolx fought back and won. They hung their enemies' skulls on sticks, lining them up along the river as a warning.

Modern history

Gingolx was founded as a permanent settlement in 1867 by the Christian missionaries who came down river by raft. The founder of the mission was the Rev. Robert Tomlinson, an Anglican medical missionary who succeeded the Rev. Robert A. Doolan, who had begun the Anglican Nass mission at Greenville, a.k.a. Laxgalts'ap. Gingolx's first European type buildings (including houses, a school, and a church) were all built in 1879.