We’ve been here a long time.
We say our people have been here “since time immemorial.” Traditional knowledge, including legends and our ancestral names, confirm our continued occupation of this area.
We have 491 Members as of our last count (March 2019), with nearly half living on Tsawwassen Lands (215). Many of our other Members (276) live close by in the North Okanagan, B.C., and in the Bellingham, Washington areas.
Our land base is deeply connected to our identity. Our traditional territory is bordered on the northeast by the watersheds that feed into Pitt Lake, down the Pitt River to the city of Pitt Meadows, where they empty into the Fraser River. It includes Burns Bog and part of New Westminster, following the outflow of the Fraser River just south of Sea Island. From Sea Island, it cuts west across the Salish Sea to Galiano Island and includes all of Saltspring, Pender and Saturna Islands. From there, our territory continues northeast to include the Point Roberts Peninsula and the watersheds of the Serpentine and Nicomeckl rivers.
Our Elders are the strength and wisdom of our Nation. They are a source of inspiration and guidance for many in our community. They also are the memory of our community. They preserve and pass on our language, our culture and our traditional heritage. They guide us on important matters of our new Government. Many of our elders have said they never thought they’d live to see a treaty reached with Tsawwassen, BC and Canada and are grateful we have dealt with this unfinished business.
Traditionally, our resources were based on fish. Salmon, sturgeon, crab, and eulachon were our primary food resources and remain a key part of our traditional lifestyle. We still harvest salmon, crab and eulachon. Fish continues to provide for cultural and social processes that are very important to our identity, our past and our future.
Traditionally, food was abundant. For centuries, we had a trade and barter system, and specialized services, such as processing of resources, were exchanged. Through our longhouse culture, we had extensive practices and ceremonies that dealt with governance functions. Our longhouse systems also ensured the redistribution of wealth to make certain our people could survive. Experts continue to learn how complex these practices were and still are.
On April 3, 2009, the Tsawwassen People ratified the first urban First Nations Treaty in B.C. It was the culmination of 14 years of negotiations. It reconciled our aboriginal rights and title and restored our right to First Nation self-government, protected in the Canadian Constitution. The Treaty provides us with municipal, provincial and federal types of jurisdiction over a land base of 724 hectares. So far, we have 23 laws that replace the Indian Act on Tsawwassen Lands and in our traditional territory. Tsawwassen First Nation also became a full member of the Metro Vancouver regional district, now Metro Vancouver, the first First Nation to do so.
For the Tsawwassen People, the Treaty has given us a cause for much hope, optimism and comfort – to know that we once again control our destiny. We are now going through a period of revival and renewal as we plan our future and seek opportunities to sustain our growth physically, economically and culturally, for present and future generations.
Hunquminum Songs of Tsawwassen First Nation
wet k̓ʷəθkʷix? – What’s your name?
Marc tə nə skʷix – My name is Marc
ʔəy̓ nə šxʷqʷeləwən kʷənəs ʔi k̓ʷecətalə – I am happy to see you all