Our People

The kʷikʷəƛ̓əm people are the First Peoples of the Coquitlam Watershed. Archaeology findings have confirmed continuous occupation of ancestral lands for at least 10,000 years, since the last ice age. The Cities of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam take their name after our people.

The kʷikʷəƛ̓əm people are descended from ancestors who were renowned spirit and winter dancers, skilled canoe builders, and master sturgeon and salmon fishers. The rich culture and history of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm people is based on ancient Coast Salish laws and protocols which granted us the responsibility to govern our territory in accordance with our customary laws. Our land is central to every aspect of their life, and today, as in the past, we are guided by teachings to responsibly use and care for our lands, waters and all that is above and below.

kʷikʷəƛ̓əm draw our name “Red Fish Up the River” from an early spring sockeye salmon run that once flourished in the Coquitlam River and Coquitlam Lake prior to the construction of the Coquitlam Dam. Elders talk of these sockeyes running so thick that it was difficult to navigate canoes. Our name reflects the strong connection our people have always had to our lands, and the river and lake at the heart of our traditional territory. 

We draw our sovereignty from the Creator, the siʔém̓ x̌é∙l̕s (transformers), and šxʷʔə́y̓ə́m (deep-time histories), which granted us the responsibility to govern our territory in accordance with our customary laws which are based on Coast Salish traditions. We honour all lands and beings, sustenance and spiritual, that live within, rely upon, and migrate through our territory.