Community Hall, New Aiyansh. Eli Gosnell designed the large panel in the centre of this photograph. In 1980 crest designs were added on either side of the centre panel so that the whole of the front of the hall was painted.

The first families to move to New Aiyansh were Reg & Daline Percival, Reynold & Annie Davis, Violet & Richard Guno, Marjorie & Rod Robinson, Ernest & Ann Morven, Sarah & Chris Clayton, Christine & James Gosnell, Betty & Max Wright, Phoebe & Jacob Davis, Elsie & Ephriam Johnson, Emily & Sam Guno, Lillian & Rupert Woods and Josephine & Cecil Morven.

Moments in history:

• 1963 - first families move to New Aiyansh
• 1964 - Department of Indian Affairs school opens
• 1975 - Nisga'a Elementary Secondary School opens
• 1977 - Unity Pole, first totem pole in the Nass Valley in over 100 years is raised
• 1991 - name of health centre officially changed to James Gosnell Memorial Health Centre
• 1994 - Holy Trinity church opens
• 1994 - Wilp Wilxo'oskwhl Nisga'a opens in the newly renovated St. Peter's church

Gitlaxt'aamiks, Aiyansh and New Aiyansh

Gitlaxt'aamiks was a large village where people had lived for a long time. It was on the north bank of the river very close to where the Grease Trail crossed over from the Cranberry River.

In 1883, a missionary, J.B. McCullaugh started a Christian village about six kilometers down the river from Gitlaxt'aamiks. He told the residents of the new village about modern European building techniques and they very quickly built a large village complete with "Victorian" style houses, picket fences, wooden sidwalks, church, community hall, school, saw mill, and printing press. They called this new village Aiyansh - fertile valley. By 1900 most of the Gitlaxt'aamiks people had moved down the river to Aiyansh.

In 1906 there was a terrible flood at Aiyansh. The people of that village realized that Aiyansh was not as good a location as Gitlaxt'aamiks so they took all the buildings apart, rafted the pieces up the river to their old village and rebuilt them there. They change the name of Gitlaxt'aamiks to Aiyansh. There was another flood in June 1936, but it did not devastate the community.

In 1961, a flood again struck the lower half of Aiyansh. The people of Aiyansh moved to a new location near the top of a small hill on the other side of the river. They called this new village New Aiyansh. Because DIA lists the Nisga'a people of this village as members of teh Gitlaxt'aamiks band this new village is also sometimes called Gitlaxt'aamiks.