The Pauaquachin (formerly Pak-quw-chin) are a

Coast Salish The Coast Salish is a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak one of the Coas ...

indigenous people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

whose territory is in the

Greater Victoria Greater Victoria (also known as the Greater Victoria Region) is located in British Columbia, Canada, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It is usually defined as the thirteen municipalities of the Capital Regional District (CRD) ...

area of southern

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Their houses stand between

Gordon Head Gordon Head is a seaside neighbourhood in the municipality of Saanich in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Gordon Head lies north of McKenzie Avenue and east of the Blenkinsop Valley. The University of Victoria is located partly within G ...

and Cowichan Head. They are one of the five groups of houses or 'families' of Saanich, along with the

Tsawout The Tsawout First Nation is a First Nations government located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. They are a member of the Sencot'en Alliance. In the 1850s they were signatories to the Douglas Treaties. They speak the SENĆOŦEN la ...

, the Tseycum, the Malahat, the

T'sou-ke The T'sou-ke Nation of the Coast Salish peoples, is a band government whose reserve community is located on Vancouver Island, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. In February 2013, the T'sou-ke Nation had 251 registered members, with two r ...

, and the

Tsartlip The Tsartlip First Nation is a First Nations in Canada, First Nation located on the Saanich Peninsula, in Saanich people, Saanich territory on Vancouver Island. They are a member of the Sencot'en Alliance fighting for Native rights. In the 1850s t ...

First Nations. According to a 2016 census, 330 people were recognized as Pauquachin. Speakers of

North Straits Salish North Straits Salish is a Salish language which includes the dialects of *Lummi (also known as W̱lemi,Ćosen, Xwlemiʼchosen, xʷləmiʔčósən) ''(†)'' * Saanich (also known as Senćoten, sənčáθən, sénəčqən) *Samish (also known as ...

, they were organized by the

Indian Act The ''Indian Act'' (, long name ''An Act to amend and consolidate the laws respecting Indians'') is a Canadian act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still ...

into the

Pauquachin First Nation The Pauquachin First Nation is the band government of the Pauquachin group of North Straits Salish-speaking indigenous peoples. Their reserve communities and traditional territories are located in the Greater Victoria area of Vancouver Island, Br ...

. The Pauquachin are members of the

Te'Mexw Treaty Association The Te'mexw Treaty Association handles Treaty negotiations in the BC Treaty Process for a number of First Nations located in the northern Strait of Georgia of British Columbia. The members of the association are former signatories of the Douglas Tr ...

, which conducts treaty negotiations with the governments of Canada and British Columbia for several tribes.

History

According to the Pauquachin First Nations, the population in Pauquachin began as a small group of 14 families.

Contract with the Hudson's Bay Company

In 1852m, Governor James Douglas made two treaties with the

Saanich people The Saanich or (, ''Xwsenəč'') are Indigenous peoples of North America, indigenous nations from the north coast of the Gulf Islands, Gulf and San Juan Islands, southern Vancouver Island and the southern edge of the Lower Mainland in British C ...

. He concluded one with the southern Saanich, ie with Pauquachin and Malahat, on February 6, 1852 - signed by Whut-say mullet and nine other people - and one on February 11 with the northern Saanich. In exchange for several hundred blankets, this treaty was the basis for taking their land from them.

Reservations

The Pauquachin hold title to and live on three reservations on the

Saanich Inlet , image = Saanich Inlet from Gowlland Tod Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, Canada 13.jpg , image_size = 260px , caption = Saanich Inlet from Gowlland Tod Provincial Park , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Northwest o ...

south of Mill Bay and in the

Goldstream Two different neighbourhoods located in Langford, British Columbia in Greater Victoria on southern Vancouver Island include the name Goldstream. Goldstream Meadows is a neighbourhood in the city of Langford, on the northwest outskirts of G ...

and

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia *Sou ...

Districts at the southern end of the Finlayson Arm and at the mouth of the

Goldstream River The Goldstream River is a tributary of the Columbia River, joining that stream via the Lake Revelstoke reservoir after running largely west from the heart of the northern Selkirk Mountains. The river's name derives from the Big Bend Gold Rush ...

– Coles Bay (Indian Reserve #3), Hatch Point (Indian Reserve #12), and Goldstream (Indian Reserve #13), with the Goldstream reserve claim being shared along with the Malahat, Tsartlip, Tsawout and Tseycum First Nations for traditional fishing purposes. All on-reserve Pauquachin members reside on the Coles Bay reserve where residential, cultural, and administrative buildings are available. The reservations were established in 1877 as part of the

Douglas Treaties The Douglas Treaties, also known as the Vancouver Island Treaties or the Fort Victoria Treaties, were a series of treaties signed between certain indigenous groups on Vancouver Island and the Colony of Vancouver Island. Background With the signin ...

on Southern Vancouver Island, which were a colonial policy that recognized indigenous possession of land.

Destruction of land

In 1996, officials determined that the decades-long conversion of the region around the Saanich Inlet had led to massive destruction. A 1997 study of cultural development found similar results. These investigations were related to the Bamberton Town Development Project, a development project adjacent to the Malahat area, a project with far-reaching ecological and hence cultural implications. A project was developed under the auspices of the Environmental Assessment Office, which was to take into account the demands of the six tribes concerned, i.e. the Malahat, Tsartlip , Pauquachin, Tseycum and Tsawout Bands, and the Cowichan Tribes. The report outlined the traditional and current uses of the affected land. The experiences from this led to the protection of various areas in the newly created city and culminated in 1998 in the participation of the indigenous people in the development of marine protection areas.

References

{{authority control Coast Salish First Nations in British Columbia Greater Victoria

History

Contract with the Hudson's Bay Company

Reservations

Destruction of land

See also

References