Musqueam Indian Band

Search this site:MusqueamThe Musqueam people have lived in our present location for thousands of years. Our traditional territory occupies what is now Vancouver and surrounding areas. The name Musqueam relates back to the River Grass, the name of the grass is m??kw?y?. There is a story that has been passed on from generation to generation that explains how we became known as the xwm??kw?y??m (Musqueam) - People of the River Grass.''It was noted that in some periods the m??kw?y? grass flourished, and in some periods it could scarcely be found. It was also noted that in some periods our people would flourish and in some periods the population would dwindle, perhaps by plague or war. It was in this way that we became known as Musqueam.''We are traditional h?n?q??min??m? speaking people and have descended from the cultural group known as the Coast Salish. Our people moved throughout our traditional territory using the resources the land provided for fishing, hunting, trapping and gathering, to maintain their livelihood.