The Cheam Indian Band ( hur, Xwchí:yò:m) is a
First Nations band government
In Canada, an Indian band or band (french: bande indienne, link=no), sometimes referred to as a First Nation band (french: bande de la Première Nation, link=no) or simply a First Nation, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subjec ...
of the
Stó:lō people in the
Upper Fraser Valley
The Fraser Valley is a geographical region in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and northwestern Washington State. It starts just west of Hope in a narrow valley encompassing the Fraser River and ends at the Pacific Ocean stretching from the ...
region of
British Columbia, Canada, located near the community of
Rosedale. They traditionally speak the Upriver dialect of
Halkomelem, one of the
Salishan family of languages. The name ''Cheam'' means "wild strawberry place" and is the namesake of
Mount Cheam
Cheam Peak or Mount Cheam (pronounced and in English, in Halqemeylem, the local indigenous language, referring to the lowland below. The Halqemeylem name for the mountain is Lhílheqey – ''Theeth-uhl-kay'' – from the word ''Lhelqey'' – "g ...
, which overlooks the community and most of the Upper Fraser Valley. They are a member government of the
Sto:lo Tribal Council, one of two Sto:lo tribal councils.
The band services two reserves on the north shore of Cheam Lake, home to 354 people with another 200 living off the reserve.
Treaty Process
Like other members of the Sto:lo Tribal Council, the Cheam are not participating in the
British Columbia Treaty Process
The British Columbia Treaty Process (BCTP) is a land claims negotiation process started in 1993 to resolve outstanding issues, including claims to un-extinguished indigenous rights, with British Columbia's First Nations.
Two treaties have been ...
.
BC Government Aboriginal Reconciliation and Renewal website
/ref>
References
Sto:lo governments
First Nations governments in the Lower Mainland
{{FirstNations-stub