The Snuneymuxw are a vibrant First Nation of the Coast Salish People, located in the center of Coast Salish territory on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the Fraser River, Burrard Inlet and the Howe Sound. Snuneymuxw territory encompasses one of the most productive and resource rich areas at the heart of the Salish Sea.
Since time immemorial, the Snuneymuxw People have resided in Snuneymuxw Territory as the first peoples, sustaining our lands, resources, culture and spiritual way of life.
A few centuries ago, the Snuneymuxw People welcomed explorers to Snuneymuxw territories and waters, providing the newcomers with sustenance and engaging them in trade and commerce.
On December 23, 1854, Snuneymuxw and the Crown entered the Snuneymuxw Sarelquun Treaty of 1854, a trade and commerce treaty including solemn promises and obligations to forever and always protect Snuneymuxw villages, cultivated fields, and the right to hunt and carry on fisheries as formerly.
What occurred in the treaty making meetings in the winter of 1854 with our Snuneymuxw forefathers and foremothers remains omnipresent: the coal could be shared, but the land and water would be preserved and protected, for our children, and their children’s children, forever and always. Returning Snuneymuxw villages back to our Nation remains a top priority.
Often referred to as a trade and commerce treaty, the Snuneymuxw Sarlequun Treaty of 1854 is protected under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. The Ancestors were brilliant to protect the Snuneymuxw way of being by entering into the strongest agreement available to Canada.
In 2021, Snuneymuxw First Nation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Canada and B.C., which marks a transformative shift from the extinguishment of rights, to recognizing and implementing the Snuneymuxw Sarlequun Treaty of 1854. Additionally, the Reconciliation Implementation Framework Agreement and the Land Transfer Agreement with the province of B.C. serve a similar purpose of acknowledging the rights and people of Snuneymuxw. Snuneymuxw First Nation has also established a protocol agreement with the City of Nanaimo, which adopts a cooperative and mutually beneficial approach to recognizing our Treaty.
Much was done over the last 170+ years to deny or erase Snuneymuxw people, Snuneymuxw rights, way of being and spirituality. While fighting and prevailing against the weight of oppressive systems, Snuneymuxw has persistently prioritized community, Snawayalth, and the Land.
Now, in the midst of a climate crisis, Snuneymuxw is driven by the urgent need to heal the Land and its communities. Snuneymuxw First Nation warmly welcomes you to continue the Snuneymuxw legacy of learning from, caring for, protecting, and enjoying the unsparing blessings of this sacred place.
