Tina?7 Cht Ti Temixw: We Come From This Land

A story of the Sk_wx_wu?7mesh U?xwumixw (Squamish Nation): past, present, and future.

One hundred years after Sk_wx_wu?7mesh (Squamish) leadership signed an amalgamation agreement that declared several communities in Squamish territory as one nation, this accessible history of the Sk_wx_wu?7mesh people traces our stories from ancient times to the present. Tina?7 Cht Ti Temixw: We Come from This Land offers the culmination of generations of knowledge about the Squamish People and S?wx_wu7meshulh Temix_w (Squamish People's Territory).

Today, we are over 4,100 people and growing, living within S?wx_wu7meshulh Temix_w and beyond. Our 6,732-square-kilometre territory includes the watersheds of the Squamish River, Mamquam River, and Howe Sound in the north, and English Bay, False Creek, and Burrard Inlet in the south. It encompasses saltwater and rushing rivers, old-growth forests at valley bottoms, and alpine forests high above the ocean.

Oral histories and archaeological sites demonstrate our relationship with the lands and waters going back over twelve thousand years. Here, we introduce ancient Squamish stories and ways, as well as describe relationships with our neighbours from time immemorial. We discuss early contact with Europeans and the disastrous effects of racism and colonialism, the Indian Act, reserves, and residential schools. We detail our engagement with the imperfect tool of the Canadian judicial system in several significant court cases that have advanced Indigenous rights. And we show how the Squamish Nation is taking back ownership and stewardship within our homelands.

Tina?7 Cht Ti Temixw: We Come from This Land is a powerful introduction to our vast history and a launching point for discovering more about the different places, people, and stories offered here.