səl̓ilw̓ət

səl̓ilw̓ət is the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (Hun’qumyi’num) name for Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm, and is the place from which the səlilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) people derive their name. The commonly used term Tsleil-Waututh is an anglicised version of səl̓ilw̓ət with a possessive suffix. The literal translation of Tsleil-Waututh is “The People of the Inlet”.

Until the early 20^th century, the səlilwətaʔɬ primarily travelled on the water using cedar canoes, and were sustained by the waters of the inlet in many ways. The rich marine resources of səl̓ilw̓ət such as salmon, herring, clams, and birds were an important part of the people’s diet, and the success of daily activities such as marine hunting and harvesting relied upon detailed knowledge of the seasons, and associated tides and currents.

For generations, the səlilwətaʔɬ have hunted, gathered, and managed the landscape, and made their homes in the watersheds of səl̓ilw̓ət. Today, the people continue to inhabit their traditional territories and embody a sacred trust and commitment to care for their lands and waters.

Before much of the industrial and residential development we see today, there were numerous trails within the territory connecting villages, families, and resource gathering areas. Oral histories, supported by the archaeological record, tell of the existence of lookout stations and large defensive structures that fenced in villages and would have been instrumental in protecting the səlilwətaʔɬ from external raiders.