Semiahmoo people
Encyclopedia
The Semiahmoo are a Coast Salish
Native America people in southwestern British Columbia
in Canada
.
and Samish
peoples south of the international border, and to the Lekwammen and T'sou-ke across the Strait of Georgia, than they are to the Halq’emeylem-speaking residents of the Sto:lo
in the Fraser Valley
.
The people of the strait are united by their Salish language and by their tradition of using an elaborate reef-net system to catch sockeye salmon
as they entered Juan de Fuca Strait and the Strait of Georgia
from the south, on their migration to spawning grounds in the Fraser River
.
Indigenous Peoples of the Americas were very well organized and survived off the lands which were tied to there Hereditary Chief Names. Each House would have a Hereditary Chief Name and with the out line of their Traditional Territory and Shared Territories.. The House Group was responsible for their Homeland and took care of their own families and communities. Laws governing what took place on the land were decided by the Hereditary Chief in Meetings.
Crests or Art presented on poles, Blankets, Designs, and Body Tattoos told stories of Ownership of the Land and Territory from where one belonged. If you belonged to a certain house, you wore the Crest proudly and displayed who you were for everyone to know. Each house was responsible for upholding it's House name by acting according to the law. Generosity was the law. And abundance was gained by work of the land, fishing, harvesting, and hunting freely on ones Traditional Territory, Homelands and shared Territories. Giving in the feast house was a sign of wealth, hard work and a coordinated effort of all house group members.
Delgamuukxw is an example of this where Hereditary Chief names are tied to Traditional Territories as since time immemorial.
There were also two classes—an upper and lower—of free men and a class of slaves. The upper-class free men had inherited privileges. Slaves were primarily war captives or the descendants of war captives.
explored Semiahmoo and Boundary Bay
s. He did not encounter the Semiahmoo but did describe the ruins of a fishing camp on Point Roberts capable of containing at least 400 or 500 Inhabitants.
Shortly before 1850, their neighbours to the north, the Snokomish, were almost entirely wiped out by a smallpox
epidemic. The few survivors joined the Semiahmoo and the Semiahmoo became heirs to the Snokomish territory which encircled Boundary Bay. After this time, the Semiahmoo made Crescent Beach
one of their temporary summer camps.
The Semiahmoo maintained forts for protection against other First Nations and in reaction to the Hudson's Bay Company
fort at Fort Langley. These fell into disrepair following the 1854 establishment of the colony of British Columbia
. One such fort was discovered in the 1950s on a bluff in Ocean Park
.
In 1857, British Royal Engineers
established their Camp Semiahmoo which was later used as a base to survey the international border. Soldiers described the Semiahmoo as "harmless
and peaceable."
By the 1860s, Roman Catholic missionaries had a successful church among the Semiahmoo and a gold rush
poured settlers and miners into the area. A new trail was built to Semiahmoo Bay
with Fort Langley. Smallpox epidemics in 1862 and 1888 resulted in heavy loss of life among the Semiahmoo.
Many Semiahmoo worked as loggers or charged tolls for transportation of logs across their land. Reef-netting also became commercialized until a continuous line of traps by Alaska Packers ended their industry in 1892.
The Semiahmoo Reserve was established in 1887. For much of the last half of the 20th century, 172 acre (0.69605992 km²) or more than half the reserve's area was leased by the band to the Municipality of Surrey for recreational purposes. This lease ended in 1998 and the band now profits from leases to a variety of organizations and individual residents. Renown Haida artist Robert Davidson
works from a studio on the reserve.
Coast Salish
Coast Salish languages are a subgroup of the Salishan language family. These languages are spoken by First Nations or Native American peoples inhabiting the territory that is now the southwest coast of British Columbia around the Strait of Georgia and Washington state around Puget Sound...
Native America people in southwestern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
History
The Semiahmoo are more closely related to the LummiLummi
The Lummi , governed by the Lummi Nation, are a Native American tribe of the Coast Salish ethnolinguistic group in western Washington state in the United States...
and Samish
Samish
The Samish are a Native American tribe who live in the U.S. state of Washington. The seat of their tribal government is in Anacortes. The Native American form of "Samish" is /sʔémǝš/, from /s–/, "nominalizer", /ʔé/, "be there", and /–mǝš/, "people".-Pre-Contact with Europeans:The Samish were less...
peoples south of the international border, and to the Lekwammen and T'sou-ke across the Strait of Georgia, than they are to the Halq’emeylem-speaking residents of the Sto:lo
Stó:lo
The Sto:lo , alternately written as Stó:lō, Stó:lô or Stó:lõ and historically as Staulo or Stahlo, and historically known and commonly referred to in ethnographic literature as the Fraser River Indians or Lower Fraser Salish, are a group of First Nations peoples inhabiting the Fraser Valley of...
in the Fraser Valley
Fraser Valley
The Fraser Valley is the section of the Fraser River basin in southwestern British Columbia downstream of the Fraser Canyon. The term is sometimes used to refer to the Fraser Canyon and stretches upstream from there, but in general British Columbian usage of the term refers to the stretch of the...
.
The people of the strait are united by their Salish language and by their tradition of using an elaborate reef-net system to catch sockeye salmon
Sockeye salmon
Sockeye salmon , also called red salmon or blueback salmon in the USA, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it...
as they entered Juan de Fuca Strait and the Strait of Georgia
Strait of Georgia
The Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from...
from the south, on their migration to spawning grounds in the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
.
Indigenous Peoples of the Americas were very well organized and survived off the lands which were tied to there Hereditary Chief Names. Each House would have a Hereditary Chief Name and with the out line of their Traditional Territory and Shared Territories.. The House Group was responsible for their Homeland and took care of their own families and communities. Laws governing what took place on the land were decided by the Hereditary Chief in Meetings.
Crests or Art presented on poles, Blankets, Designs, and Body Tattoos told stories of Ownership of the Land and Territory from where one belonged. If you belonged to a certain house, you wore the Crest proudly and displayed who you were for everyone to know. Each house was responsible for upholding it's House name by acting according to the law. Generosity was the law. And abundance was gained by work of the land, fishing, harvesting, and hunting freely on ones Traditional Territory, Homelands and shared Territories. Giving in the feast house was a sign of wealth, hard work and a coordinated effort of all house group members.
Delgamuukxw is an example of this where Hereditary Chief names are tied to Traditional Territories as since time immemorial.
Society
Semiahmoo society did not have a formal political structure. The first nation was divided into politically and economically independent households. Each plank house held several families united by bonds of kinship.There were also two classes—an upper and lower—of free men and a class of slaves. The upper-class free men had inherited privileges. Slaves were primarily war captives or the descendants of war captives.
Post-European contact
In 1792, Captain George VancouverGeorge Vancouver
Captain George Vancouver RN was an English officer of the British Royal Navy, best known for his 1791-95 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of contemporary Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
explored Semiahmoo and Boundary Bay
Boundary Bay
Boundary Bay is situated on the Pacific coast of North America on the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington....
s. He did not encounter the Semiahmoo but did describe the ruins of a fishing camp on Point Roberts capable of containing at least 400 or 500 Inhabitants.
Shortly before 1850, their neighbours to the north, the Snokomish, were almost entirely wiped out by a smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemic. The few survivors joined the Semiahmoo and the Semiahmoo became heirs to the Snokomish territory which encircled Boundary Bay. After this time, the Semiahmoo made Crescent Beach
Crescent Beach
Crescent Beach may refer to:*Crescent Beach, Lockeport, Nova Scotia, Canada*Crescent Beach, Florida, United States*Crescent Beach, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Canada*Crescent Beach , South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada...
one of their temporary summer camps.
The Semiahmoo maintained forts for protection against other First Nations and in reaction to the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
fort at Fort Langley. These fell into disrepair following the 1854 establishment of the colony of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. One such fort was discovered in the 1950s on a bluff in Ocean Park
Ocean Park (Surrey)
-Pre-colonial:Ocean Park was part of the territory of the Semiahmoo people, one of a group of tribes called the Straits Salish, a division of the Coast Salish....
.
In 1857, British Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
established their Camp Semiahmoo which was later used as a base to survey the international border. Soldiers described the Semiahmoo as "harmless
and peaceable."
By the 1860s, Roman Catholic missionaries had a successful church among the Semiahmoo and a gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
poured settlers and miners into the area. A new trail was built to Semiahmoo Bay
Semiahmoo Bay
Semiahmoo Bay is the southeastern section of Boundary Bay on the Pacific coast of North America. The name "Semiahmoo" is a Coast Salish word for "half moon".From the north to south, the following communities and places are located on its shore:...
with Fort Langley. Smallpox epidemics in 1862 and 1888 resulted in heavy loss of life among the Semiahmoo.
Many Semiahmoo worked as loggers or charged tolls for transportation of logs across their land. Reef-netting also became commercialized until a continuous line of traps by Alaska Packers ended their industry in 1892.
The Semiahmoo Reserve was established in 1887. For much of the last half of the 20th century, 172 acre (0.69605992 km²) or more than half the reserve's area was leased by the band to the Municipality of Surrey for recreational purposes. This lease ended in 1998 and the band now profits from leases to a variety of organizations and individual residents. Renown Haida artist Robert Davidson
Robert Davidson (artist)
Robert Charles Davidson, CM, OBC , is a Canadian artist of Haida heritage. His specialties are in carving , sculpture and painting....
works from a studio on the reserve.
External links
- Semiahmoofirstnation.org - Official site
- Semiahmoo Wiki - a joint project of Surrey School District, White Rock Museum and Archives and the Semiahmoo First Nation
- First Nation Detail, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
- The Semiahmoo People - a website based on the unpublished Sociology Anthropology Master's thesis by Surrey resident and teacher Jack Brown