Project 57 Week 10: q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie First Nation)

Located on the present-day municipalities of Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Surrey, Langley, and Delta, q̓ic̓əy̓ territory centre is sq̓ə́yc̓əyaʔɬ x̌acaʔ, known as Pitt Lake in English. The name, q̓ic̓əy̓, means “land of the moss” in their traditional language hənq̓əmínəm̓. On their website, q̓ic̓əy̓ share that Swaneset’s sky wife directed them to gather moss for a village site foundation and from here she released eulachon into the Fraser River (Who we are). Θéləctən is the Ancestor for q̓ic̓əy̓, having been placed in the territory by Swaneset. 

Swaneset is referred to as the powerful benefactor who shaped q̓ic̓əy̓ territory into a reciprocal state where the lands, waters and people take care of each other (from Who we are).  The responsibility to care for the land that cares for them continues today, such as this example of the Nation’s restoration work on the Upper Pitt River’s Blue Creek Habitat. This project’s goal is to “build a healthier sustainable ecosystem for communities, specifically Chinook salmon.” 

To continue learning about Katzie First Nation, try these resources 

• Katzie Ethnographic Notes, linked at the bottom of their Who we are webpage
• History of the Katzie People