Walter George Wright (died 1949) was a Canadian hereditary chief of the Tsimshian people from the Kitselas (Gits’ilaasü) community near Terrace, British Columbia. Renowned for his extensive knowledge of Tsimshian oral traditions, his narratives were recorded and published posthumously in the book Men of Medeek.
Chiefship and family name
Wright held the hereditary name‑title Niistaxoʼok, associated with the chieftainship of the House of Niistaxoʼok within the Gispwudwada (Killer‑whale) clan. In the prologue to Men of Medeek he described his authority on both sides of the Kitselas Canyon, noting the historic right of his line to exercise chief authority. His family connections extended across several neighboring First Nations through arranged marriages of his seven sisters, creating matrilineal ties that reinforced alliances and succession.
Career and activities
Before dedicating himself to oral history, Wright worked as a river‑boat pilot on the Skeena River, commanding Hudson’s Bay Company sternwheelers such as the Mount Royal and Hazelton. Later in life he lost his eyesight and became blind. He also served as an envoy for the Salvation Army.
Oral history work
Wright’s knowledge of Tsimshian clan histories (adawx) was recorded in the 1930s. He dictated his accounts to Will Robinson, a local justice of the peace, during 1935‑1936. The material was not published until 1962, after both men had died, under the title Men of Medeek. The book recounts the migration of the Gispwudwada people to Kitselas Canyon, interweaving stories of Tsimshian Eagle‑clan chiefs such as Ligeex of the Gispaxloʼots and Gitxon of Kitselas. The term “medeek” (or “midiik”) is the Tsimshian word for “grizzly bear,” a totemic crest of Wright’s branch of the Gispwudwada clan; Medeek Avenue in Terrace is named after this affiliation.
Wright also collaborated with the Tsimshian ethnologist and chief William Beynon in the 1920s and later, providing additional narratives for ethnographic research.
Later life, death, and succession
Wright died on 14 November 1949. Contemporary reports listed his age at death as either 84 or 104; when he dictated Men of Medeek he claimed to be 65. His successor as chief was identified as his nephew, Walter Nyce, the son of one of his sisters. Another line of succession involved his great‑great‑nephew Clarence Anderson, who was trained by Wright in his later years and eventually inherited the Niistaxoʼok name.
Legacy
The manuscript Men of Medeek was re‑issued in a limited edition together with the previously unpublished Wars of Medeek in 2003, facilitated by Wright’s descendants and the Kitselas Band Council. All original documentation and copyrights were transferred to the Kitselas Nation that same year. Wright’s contributions remain a primary source for the study of Tsimshian oral tradition, clan history, and the cultural heritage of the Kitselas people.