Squamish Nation

The word "Squamish" means "Mother of the Wind," and due to the strong winds that still blow at the north end of Howe Sound it is not hard to understand how the original Coast Salish peoples who lived here came up with the name for this territory.

The Squamish Nation is made up  of descendants of the Coast Salish Aboriginal peoples who lived in the Greater Vancouver area; Gibson’s landing and Squamish River watershed. 

The Squamish Nation have occupied and governed their territory since beyond recorded history. The Nation consists of 23 villages. The Squamish culture is rich and resilient.  

Customs and traditions are still practiced today, and they are strongly interconnected with our traditional territory, the land that the people have lived upon.

The land, customs, and traditions are the foundation of the culture of the Squamish Nation, Skwxwú7mesh.

The Squamish people have very strong links to these lands and waters.  The location has particular meaning to the Squamish people because of the existence of oral traditions that served to explain that place in the Squamish universe and in our relationship to the land.