c̓əsnaʔəm

c̓əsnaʔəm, one of our Musqueam villages, existed on the stal̕əw̓ (now called the Fraser River) long before Vancouver was founded. For over 4000 years, generations of our ancestors lived at c̓əsnaʔəm. Around 2000 years ago, it grew to become one of our largest villages and was connected by water ways and trails to other villages throughout our territory, such as sən̓aʔqʷ (Vanier Park). Over the last 125 years, archaeologists and collectors mined c̓əsnaʔəm for artifacts and human remains: our ancestors and their belongings. Today, c̓əsnaʔəm has been paved over and built upon, yet it remains part of our territory, culture, and history.

The history of this place is told by the Musqueam First Nation

“xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people have lived in our territory, what is currently called Vancouver and the surrounding areas, for thousands of years. Some of our sχʷəy̓em̓ (ancient histories) describe the landscape as it was over eight thousand years ago.” (www.musqueam.bc.ca)

Musqueam’s traditional language is called hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓. Please learn more about the Musqueam Language and Culture department and their work with language learners and educational resources here.

“Due to colonization, there are no longer any fluent hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speakers, however many people have dedicated their lives to revitalizing the language.

In the 1970’s, Musqueam began our journey of revitalizing hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓. Since then, our community has invested decades of commitment into documenting, researching, and developing teaching and learning resources for hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓.” (from Musqueam A Living Culture website. www.musqueam.bc.ca)

Visit the Museum of Vancouver‘s exhibit: c̓əsnaʔəm: city before the city

Check out the resources at the UBC Library Guide, including videos

Please spend time learning about Musqueam territory and places names  and use this comprehensive teaching tool, the Musqueam Teaching Kit, created for the public.