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The Squamish leader, Chief Khahtsahlano, led a group to settle in today’s Stanley Park, near Prospect Point, while his brother, Chipkaayam (also known as Chief George) settled in False Creek because of the plentiful duck
hunting, fish trapping and natural resources.
In 1863, the British Columbia Mill Company opened a sawmill on Burrard Inlet and what had been a seasonal settlement at the Burrard Inlet became more permanent as the
Squamishpeople moved in large numbers to work at the sawmill along with the Musqueam.
Many nations fished the Fraser River area. Due to sustained contact with white colonialists, the economy changed drastically, moving
from one of traditional subsistence on the land, to paid labour.
In 1868, with many non-Indigenous people settling into the area, the federal governmentprotected it, establishing it as a 37-acre reserve, called the
Kitsilano Reserve (what they thought was a rough translation of Khahtsahlano) expanding the reserve to 80 acres in 1876.
By 1884, the sawmill industry on Burrard Inlet had grown, moving into what is now False Creek,
creating a labour market for both the Squamish and Tsleil-Watuth men, who focused work on both the sawmills and long shoring.
In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) that they could
reclaim the area of their traditional village Sen̓áḵw beside Granville Island.
The land behind theformer Molson Brewery and under the Burrard Street Bridge was handed back to the nation byCP Rail in this important court
case.
Today, industry on Granville Island has changed with the times and there are several Indigenous-owned galleries and stores. What hasn’t changed is that Granville Island residents are still proud to work and play on
territories that are the ancestral lands for all three nations, the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh).
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There are more than 630 First Nation communities in Canada, which represent more than 50 Nations and 50 Indigenous languages.
The xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)
peoples are indigenous to the area around Vancouver and have lived on these lands for thousands of years.
The Salish, the Indigenous people of the area, used a large sand bar (later filled in to become an Industrial
Island, then Granville Island), and the surrounding areas for traditional purposes such as hunting, gathering, travel, and everyday living and cultural activities.
The area around Granville Island historically provided a
plentiful harvest of wild game, such as deer, elk, bear and beaver, along with waterfowl such as duck.
The waters were said to haveteemed with flounder, perch, and salmon.
The Salish people harvested clams, oysters,
urchin, herring and cod, and hunted deer.
Berries and a variety of wild plants such as cabbage and mushrooms were nurtured and harvested from the surrounding area by all three local Nations for medicinal and early
technology.
Shellfish harvesting in the area was closed in 1972.
With such a rich sand bar, the Salish people had a saying, “when the tide went out, the table was set,” meaning that when the tide went out, they could
walk with the tide and have enough food for their families.
The sea and its abundance also brought the Squamish people to the area each season.
There is some discrepancy over the date of permanent settlement, but most
agree that the Squamish inhabited Sen̓áḵw, an ancient village in, what is now the False Creek area, as early as 1821 or possibly as late as the 1850s.
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