As a Kwantlen First Nation member, Jessica (an MSc student in our lab) has entered into a research partnership with her community. This research has focused on understanding settler-colonialism in an urban setting from a community perspective. It highlights the tools and strategies that have been used by leadership for rebuilding the community and entering into partnerships with local, provincial and the federal government. In addition, in order to fulfill a community-need, this research has created a collaborative ArcGIS Story Map which traces Kwantlen First Nation's dispossession and resistance since time immemorial-present.
(Kwantlen First Nation ) Short History
Kwantlen First Nation is an Indigenous community who have lived along the Fraser River since time immemorial. As a subsidiary of the Sto:lo population, it remains unknown the extent of Kwantlen First Nation's population previous to colonial contact. However, archaeologists have estimated Sto:lo populations to be between 40,000 - 80,000. Since European contact, this population was greatly reduced from successive waves of smallpox and other diseases.
The establishment of the Hudson Bay trading post (1827) in the region and colonial interest in farmland affected Kwantlen's relationships to their traditional territory. The introduction of British Columbia's Reserve System (1858-1930) further dislocated and disenfranchised Kwantlen First Nation from their land base. Further reductions to Kwantlen First Nation reserve land base have been observed through various governmental transactions such as land leases and surrenders for projects such as railways and highways.
Kwantlen has taken numerous measures to rebuild their community. A pivotal moment was the reclamation of the traditional name Kwantlen which translates to "tireless runner," in 1994. Many other resurgence activities have been taking place in the community such as the reclamation and learning of language, cultural protocols, art, ceremony, and government.
Our Partnership
This research partnership between Kwantlen First Nation and Concordia University in 2017. We have been working on highlighting the key strategies that have been used by Kwantlen First Nation for developing partnerships across their territory. Through this work, we have identified a need for communicating Kwantlen First Nation's relationship to land. By engaging with past community research, the Kwantlen Territory Knowledge Project, a project that traced the historical land transactions. This research partnership has produced the Kwantlen First Nation Occupation, Dispossession and Resistance StoryMap which can be utilized by the community to build a better understanding of their historical relationship to land and their interaction with the Canadian government on land issues.
link to Kwantlen's website: https://www.kwantlenfn.ca/
(Kwantlen First Nation ) Short History
Kwantlen First Nation is an Indigenous community who have lived along the Fraser River since time immemorial. As a subsidiary of the Sto:lo population, it remains unknown the extent of Kwantlen First Nation's population previous to colonial contact. However, archaeologists have estimated Sto:lo populations to be between 40,000 - 80,000. Since European contact, this population was greatly reduced from successive waves of smallpox and other diseases.
The establishment of the Hudson Bay trading post (1827) in the region and colonial interest in farmland affected Kwantlen's relationships to their traditional territory. The introduction of British Columbia's Reserve System (1858-1930) further dislocated and disenfranchised Kwantlen First Nation from their land base. Further reductions to Kwantlen First Nation reserve land base have been observed through various governmental transactions such as land leases and surrenders for projects such as railways and highways.
Kwantlen has taken numerous measures to rebuild their community. A pivotal moment was the reclamation of the traditional name Kwantlen which translates to "tireless runner," in 1994. Many other resurgence activities have been taking place in the community such as the reclamation and learning of language, cultural protocols, art, ceremony, and government.
Our Partnership
This research partnership between Kwantlen First Nation and Concordia University in 2017. We have been working on highlighting the key strategies that have been used by Kwantlen First Nation for developing partnerships across their territory. Through this work, we have identified a need for communicating Kwantlen First Nation's relationship to land. By engaging with past community research, the Kwantlen Territory Knowledge Project, a project that traced the historical land transactions. This research partnership has produced the Kwantlen First Nation Occupation, Dispossession and Resistance StoryMap which can be utilized by the community to build a better understanding of their historical relationship to land and their interaction with the Canadian government on land issues.
link to Kwantlen's website: https://www.kwantlenfn.ca/