The Skway First Nation, (officially Shxwhá:y Village), is a
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 living in the
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 ...
of
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...
, Canada near the city of
Chilliwack
Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdoor ...
. They traditionally speak the Upriver dialect of
Halkomelem
Halkomelem (; in the Upriver dialect, in the Island dialect, and in the Downriver dialect) is a language of various First Nations peoples of the British Columbia Coast. It is spoken in what is now British Columbia, ranging from southeastern ...
, one of the
Salishan
The Salishan (also Salish) languages are a family of languages of the Pacific Northwest in North America (the Canadian province of British Columbia and the American states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana). They are characterised ...
family of languages. The band is a member government of the
Sto:lo Nation tribal council, and should not be confused with the
Skwah First Nation, which is in the same area but is a different band..
Indian Reserves
The band administers three
Indian Reserves
In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the ''Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty,
that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band."
Indi ...
:
*
Grass Indian Reserve No. 15, 1/2 mile southeast of Chilliwack, 64.8 ha.
*
Skumalasph Indian Reserve No. 16
Skumalasph Indian Reserve No. 16 is an Indian reserve of the Sto:lo people in the area of the City of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. Located six miles northwest of downtown Chilliwack and 468.40 ha. in area, it is jointly administered b ...
, 6 miles northwest of Chilliwack, 468.4 ha.
*
Skway Indian Reserve No. 5, 2 miles west of Chilliwack, 255 ha. (location of Skway Village)
The band also shares with 20 other bands the
Peckquaylis Indian Reserve, formerly
St. Mary's Indian Residential School at
Mission
Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to:
Organised activities Religion
*Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity
*Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
, which is now a cultural, government and aboriginal business centre.
Treaty process
The Skway are at Stage 4 in
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 ...
with the rest of the
Sto:lo Nation tribal council.
BC Govt Aboriginal Reconciliation website
/ref>
References
External links
Shxwhá:y Village website
Sto:lo governments
Politics of Chilliwack
First Nations governments in the Lower Mainland
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