Ornaments

One way Nisga'a showed their rank was by hair style. Most Nisga'a wore their hair long.

• A Chief wore his hair twisted in a knot on the back of his head.
• A Warrior wore his hair in a knot on the top of his head.
• A carver or other craftman wore his hair loosely over his shoulders.
• A woman usually wore two long braids, sometimes decorated with with shells.
• A slave always wore short hair.

For special ceremonies Nisga'a put bird's down and ochre in their hair. The ochre was rubbed into a smear of grease placed along the part in the hair. The grease kept the ochre in place. Women also wore combs in their hair. The combs were carved from wood, stone or bone.

Labrets

A labret is a piece of jewelery worn just below the lower lip. Nisga'a labrets were carved of wood, bone or shell. Labrets were a sign of high rank. The matriach of a wilp wore a labret at ceremonies and feasts.

Nisga'a girls of a Chieftain rank all had holes for labrets pieced below their lower lips. The girl's paternal grandmother and aunts made a hole for the labret at an important ceremony after a girl's puberty seclusion. To stop it from healing, a copper wire or a piece of shell or wood was put in the hole. Members of her mother's wilp gave gifts to say, "Thank you", for this service.

Because the labret made it difficult to speak, a girl learned to think before she spoke. This was important because the matriach had the last word about decisions that affected her wilp. She learned that it was beneath her dignity to react to anything, especially an insult, without first thinking. The labret showed everyone that what the matriarch said was important.

Even today when a Nisga'a woman speaks sensibly and with courage, she is often told, ---"K'ets'kw niinis" -"You have a labret".

Matriarchs' Daughters

High ranking young women were each given a special jade pebble. They chewed on the pebble to wear down their front teeth. This was a sign of their high rank.

Like the labret, this also helped the young woman to remember to speak only after thinking. It helped her to remember to listen.

 

Labrets have been a common sign of wealth and rank all over the world. Among the Nisga'a the largest labrets were worn only by the highest ranking women.

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Jewelery

Women wore anklets, necklaces, bracelets, rings, gorgets and labrets.