Native Brotherhood of British Columbia
The Native Brotherhood of British Columbia is a province-wide First Nations rights organization founded in the Tsimshian community of Port Simpson, British Columbia, in 1931. The Tsimshian ethnologist and chief William Beynon and Chief William Jeffrey were among its four founding members. It was modeled in spirit and structure on the Alaska Native Brotherhood.
Since its absorption of the Pacific Coast Native Fishermen's Organization and its primarily Kwakwaka'wakw membership in 1942, it became oriented more towards fishing rights.
In 1945, Andy Paull and chapters centered in Coast Salish communities in B.C. split off to form the North American Indian Brotherhood.
The formation of the Brotherhood in B.C. is recounted in North Vancouver filmmaker Marie Clements' 2017 musical documentary The Road Forward.
