“According to the legend, Vancouver’s twin peaks, now commonly known as ‘The Lions’ were originally named Ch’ich’iyúy Elxwíkn’ (the Twin Sisters) long ago by a very powerful man known as the Great Tyee of the Caplianos” (Space Make Place). The Great Tyee of the Capilanos “ruled over the Capilano Canyon area” and was a “formidable warrior leader” having won many of his battles against other tribes.  

scəẃaθən can be translated as “people facing the sea” (Declaration of Tsawwassen Identity & Nationhood) and their territory includes land in Delta, Richmond, Surrey, Langley, and the Gulf Islands, and the Nation has used the “watersheds that feed into Pitt Lake, down the Pitt River to the city of Pitt Meadows, where they empty into the Fraser River” since time immemorial (Our

Prior to colonization, Semiahmoo “way of life was oriented to the sea” and today the Nation’s territory crossed the colonially created Canada-USA border (Semiahmoo First Nation). Closely connected to Lummi and Nooksack, Semiahmoo speak North Straits Salish and have traditional territory into Washington State as well as British Columbia (Semiahmoo First Nation).

Kwantlen Traditional Territory include Richmond, New Westminster, Surrey, Langley, Mission, and the northernmost edge of Stave Lake (“Our lands”, Kwantlen First Nation).  q̓^wa:ńƛəń translates to “tireless runner” and this is embodied in the Nations tireless work within their community (“Our culture and legacy”, Kwantlen First Nation). q̓^wa:ńƛəń speaks hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, a dialect of the Halq’eméylem langauge group (

Located in New Westminster, qiqéyt is the one of the smallest First Nations and currently without a land base. Chief Rhonda Larabee has been working on a land claim, noting in the 2003 NFB film that a land base is a legacy for the children and grandchildren of qiqéyt members.  

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).

Kwikwetlem First Nation’s name translates to “red fish up the river,” referencing the sockeye salmon runs that flourished before the construction of the Coquitlam Dam (from Our People). Kwikwetlam Elders talk about the there being so many salmon in the river that it was difficult to navigate the waterway in their canoes.

səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ is one of the many Nations referred to as Coast Salish, and they speak the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language. Their name means “People of the Inlet,” which tells of their long history in the area around Burrard Inlet. Like many Nations and communities, Tsleil-Waututh lived “by ‘seasonal round,’ a complex cycle of food gathering and spiritual and cultural activities.” (from Our Story) What this means is that səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ moved around their territory, going to where the resources were located.

Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw territory include Burrard Inlet, English Bay, False Creek, and the Howe Sound watershed, with many people living in North Vancouver and West Vancouver (from About Our Nation). Úxwumixw is the Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh word for village, though today the word is used for Nation (from About Our Nation).