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THE TSLEIL-WAUTUTH NATION
the people of the inlet

The Tsleil-Waututh First Nation, also known as the Burrard Band, is a First Nations government in the Canadian Province of British Columbia. The Tsleil-Waututh are Coast Salish people who speak the down-river dialect of the Halkomelem language, and are closely related to but politically separate from the nearby Nation of the Sḵwxwú7mesh (Squamish Nation) and Musqueam First Nations.

Today, Tsleil-Waututh First Nation members live in a community located between Maplewood Flats and Deep Cove on the north shore of Burrard Inlet. The traditional territory of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation encompasses a much larger area of 720 square miles that reaches from the Fraser River in the south to Mamquam Lake (near Whistler) in the north. The most heavily utilized part of this territory is the water and land area around Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm.

Prior to contact with Europeans, oral history tells us the Tsleil-Waututh numbered over 10,000 people. Their “seasonal round” involved a complex cycle of food gathering, hunting, and spiritual and cultural activities that formed the heart of Tsleil-Waututh culture.

In the winter, community members would congregate in large villages, typically located in sheltered bays. Shed-roofed houses up to several hundred feet in length were divided into individual family apartments. During the winter, people subsisted largely on stored dried foods gathered and processed throughout the rest of the year. Winter activities included wood carving, weaving blankets of mountain goat wool, and participating in spiritual ceremonies.

In the late spring, families would disperse to set up base camps on virtually every beach and protected cove in Tsleil-Waututh Territory. Planks from the winter houses were transported by canoe and used to construct the smaller summer structures. Using these camps as a base of operations, the Tsleil-Waututh made excursions to hunting, fishing and gathering locations as resources became seasonally available. Some of these resources were used immediately, while others were processed and stored for use during the winter.

In mid-July or early August, most of the Tsleil-Waututh, as well as other Coast Salish groups, traveled to the Fraser River to catch and dry the most favored type of salmon: sockeye. During this time, people would visit, exchange news of relatives, and form alliances. Large volumes of many kinds of berries were also harvested and dried during the summer months.

After the Fraser River run finished in the fall, Tsleil-Waututh families would congregate in camps on the Indian, Capilano, Seymour and other rivers to fish for pink and chum salmon. Most of the catch was dried for winter use. By December families returned to their winter villages with the provisions collected throughout the year, and the yearly cycle began again.

Despite vast changes that have been imposed within their traditional territory, Tsleil-Waututh community members continue to practice a wide range of traditional activities. A key goal of the Tsleil-Waututh community is to expand its participation in all planning and development processes so that the once abundant resources can be restored, protected, and utilized on a sustainable basis.

The above text is taken from the Simon Fraser University Community Archaelogy Web site. The Community Archaeology Project is a collaboration between the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation and the 2000 Field School from the Archaeology Department at Simon Fraser University. Members of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and the field class are jointly conducting research on the archaeology of Tsleil-Waututh traditional territory.

The most famous member of the Tsleil-Waututh was Chief Dan George, an actor and native rights advocate best known for his role as Old Lodge Skins in Little Big Man and for another role as Old Antoine in the CBC television series Cariboo Cowboy (based on books by Paul St. Pierre). His descendants still figure prominently in band government and culture. The band is also known for its war canoe racing team, Takaya (wolves). The band operates a war-canoe tour/experience known as Takaya Tours.

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