The
Portland Canal is an arm of
Portland Inlet, one of the principal
inlets of the
British Columbia Coast. It is approximately long. The Portland Canal forms part of the border between southeastern
Alaska and
British Columbia. The name of the entire inlet in the
Nisga'a language is
K'alii Xk'alaan, with /xk/alaan/ meaning "at the back of (someplace)". The upper end of the inlet was home to the
Tsetsaut ("Jits'aawit" in Nisga'a), who after being decimated by war and disease were taken under the protection of the
Laxsgiik (Eagle) chief of the Nisga'a, who holds the inlet's title in native law.