Project 57 Week 26: Coast Salish

The term “Coast Salish” originally came into use to describe the peoples using the two dozen Salishan languages (Burke Musuem). It is used to refer to First Nations communities along the BC southern coast, Vancouver Island, Washington State, and Oregon (Kennedy and Bouchard, 2019). There are many Nations and communities who are considered “Coast Salish,” each with their own name, customs, and traditions, though there are strong cultural and kinship connections between them (Kennedy and Bouchard, 2019).  

Because of this diversity, it is important to learn about the Nation(s) where you are located. For example, as mentioned earlier in this series SFU is located on nine territories, all of whom are Coast Salish. It’s our responsibility to learn which communities and be able to name them during land/territory acknowledgements. This helps to change the misconception that there is one Coast Salish Nation or identity.  

According to Coast Salish Gathering, “the Coast Salish Peoples sacred inherent right is to restore, preserve, and protect our shared environment and natural resources in [their] ancestral homelands - the Salish Sea. Although each Nation is distinct and unique, there is a shared duty toward the land and the environment.” 

To learn more about the Coast Salish, please consider the following resources: 

• Be of good mind (Miller, 2007)
• Coast Salish, School District 42 LibGuide
• View a map of the Salish Sea from Western Washington University.
• From time immemorial : the first people of the Pacific Northwest coast (Silvey & Silvey, 2005)
• “The Paradox of Boundaries in Coast Salish Territories.” vol. 16, no. 2, 2009, pp. 179–205. (B. Thom, 2009)
• Watch ‘People of the Salish Sea (Coast Salish)’ from the film ‘Clearwater’. 11 minutes.