Squamish Nation
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The Squamish Nation are a major Salishan-speaking people of southwestern British Columbia, known in their own language as the Sḵwxwú7mesh-ulh Uxwumixw. Their main communties/reserves are near the town of Squamish, British Columbia and around the mouths of the Capilano River, Mosquito Creek , and Seymour Creek in the Burrard Inlet in North Vancouver, British Columbia.
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[edit] Language
The Squamish language, written in its official writing system as Sḵwx̱wú7mesh snichim, in the official writing system of the Squamish Nation, is a Coast Salish language. It is most closely related to Shishalh (Sechelt), Halkemeylem (Sḵ'emin'em in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh snichim) and Noxws'a7aq (Nooksack — Xwsa7k in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh snichim).
[edit] History
The Squamish were the first people on the mainland of British Columbia indigenous known to have met Europeans, entering Howe Sound in 1792 near St'a7mes, the village near the town of Squamish. St'a7mes is where the English name Stawamus is derived from and is also where the name of the St'a7mes Siy'am' (the Stawamus Chief) comes from.
They are closely related to the Burrard Band or Tsleil-Waututh First Nation, who reside further east on Burrard Inlet, and have family connections to the Musqueam who reside on the southern edge of the city of Vancouver and also among other neighbouring peoples. The Skwxwu7mesh-ulh neighbours on the north are the Lil'wat people, also known as the Lower Lillooet, the main southern branch of the St'at'imc (also known as the Lillooet). Both Squamish and Lil'wat are co-hosts of the 2010 Olympic Games, as the community of Whistler hosting those games straddles the boundary between their traditional territories in the area of the upper Cheakamus River.
A few other place names in the Vancouver and Howe Sound area are derived from Squamish words or names. Kitsilano neighbourhood, for example, of Vancouver is named after a Squamish chief, Xats'alanexw (Khatsahlano a.k.a. August Jack).
[edit] Villages
The Squamish Nation is an amalgamation of different villages within their territory, and governs other uninhabited reserves in the same region:
- eslha7an - (Mission I.R#1, North Vancouver)
- xwemelch'stn - (Capilano I.R#3) (historically rendered Homulchesan in English)
- chi'ch'elxwikw' - (Seymour I.R#2)
- xwayxway - (Lumbermans Arch, Stanley Park) (usually rendered Whoi-whoi or Qwhy-qwhy in anglicized form)
- senakw - (False Creek, Kitsalano) (historically known in English as Snauq)
- schenks - (Gibsons Landing I.R#26)
- k'ik'elxn - (Port Mellon I.R#24)
- kywetin - (Kowtain I.R#17, aka, Garibaldi Highlands)
- yekw'apsem - (I.R#18)
- wiwkem - (Brackendale I.R#14)
- chiyakmesh - (Cheakmes I.R#11)
- t'ekw'takwemey - (Old village site on east side of Squamish)
- ch'wkech'ekts - (Old village site, winter home)
- puyam - (Mile 13. Upper most village in the valley)
- tsitsusem - (Potlach Creek)
- sta7mes - Sta7mes (Stawamus)
