Matsqui people facts for kids

The Matsqui people (called Máthxwi in their language) are an Aboriginal group from the Central Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada. Their government is the Matsqui First Nation, which is part of the Sto:lo Nation. The Matsqui's traditional land stretches along the Fraser River from Crescent Island to Sumas Mountain, and south towards the Canada-United States border. Today, the Matsqui First Nation manages four reserves and has about 225 members, a number that has been growing. Their original language is Halq'eméylem.

Ancient Stories: Transformer Tales

Ancient stories, called sxwõxwiyám in the Halq'eméylem language, tell us that the Matsqui people have lived in their territory since the beginning of time. Like other Sto:lo communities, the Matsqui inherited special traits or "gifts" from their legendary ancestors.

One sxwõxwiyám story explains how the Matsqui tribe began. A man named Sk-Elê'yitl and his son were turned into a Beaver by Xá:ls, a powerful transformer. This Beaver made sure that sockeye salmon were available for all Sto:lo communities on the Fraser River. Beaver was also the first to bring fire to the Sto:lo people.

Another story tells about a large transformer stone called "Méqel" (which means "nose" in Halq'eméylem). This stone is found at the edge of Aldergrove Regional Park. Xá:ls created it after seeing a man who would sneeze when enemies were close. Xá:ls was so impressed by this special ability that he turned the man into the stone nose forever.

History of the Matsqui People

The Matsqui people are closely related to the Nooksack people in Washington. They are one of only two Sto:lo groups who historically spoke two languages: Halq'eméylem and Nooksack. This happened because Matsqui territory has many trails, streams, and lakes that connect the Fraser River to the Nooksack River in Washington.

The name "Matsqui" (Máthxwi or Mathexwi) might come from the word máth, a plant that grew in the large, easy-to-travel marshes that used to be common in the Matsqui Prairie area. The word "Matsqui" means "easy portage," which refers to carrying canoes or goods over land between waterways.

Early Settlements and Life

In 1782, a smallpox epidemic spread through Matsqui territory. The people who survived likely gathered in settlements that had plenty of resources and were easier to defend.

In 1808, the explorer Simon Fraser traveled down the Fraser River. He wrote about a village that might have been Matsqui, estimating its population at about 200 people. Fraser also noted a huge longhouse, "640 feet long by 60 broad [...] under one roof." This shows how large and important their communities were.

Later, in the late 1800s, an anthropologist named Franz Boas recorded the name of a Matsqui village on Matsqui Main Indian Reserve 2 as "Ma'mak'ume [Mómeqwem]". He noted that this was one of two Matsqui villages.

Matsqui Reserves

In 1860, a surveyor named William McColl set aside a reserve for the Matsqui at Mómeqwem. This reserve was very large, about 9600 acres. However, within ten years, new government rules greatly reduced the size of reserves across the colony. By 1867, the Matsqui reserve was cut down to only 80 acres, which was just 8% of its original size.

In 1877, an American named Ellis Luther Derby started building a dyke (a wall to control water) illegally on the Matsqui Main reserve. The Matsqui people relied on seasonal flooding to reach important hunting and gathering places. The dyke made it much harder for them to use parts of their traditional land.

Towards the end of the 1800s, the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway (in 1885) and a railway line to Washington (in 1892) opened up new markets for farming. Around this time, the Matsqui people, whose traditional way of life was greatly changed, started farming and growing crops on their reserve. They raised cattle, planted crops, and grew fruit trees like apple, plum, cherry, and pear. You can still see the remains of these orchards at Matsqui Main Reserve today.

Challenges and Changes in the 20th Century

In the early 1900s, the government took large parts of Matsqui Main Reserve for the British Columbia Electric Railway (1910), Canadian National Railway (1915), and Glenmore Road.

When the McKenna-McBride Royal Commission visited Matsqui in 1915, they recorded a population of forty people living in eleven homes. The next year, the Indian Agent reported that the population was quickly getting smaller due to tuberculosis.

Chief Charlie Matsqui spoke to the commission. He explained that the borders of his reserve had been greatly reduced since 1860, and that the railways had taken land without fair payment. Chief Matsqui's words show how deeply the Matsqui felt about their land:

Our forefathers have been stopping here and that is the reason we have been living here from time immemorial. I used to hear my grandfather talking about how long he had been here in this province, that is the reason I think that I am the right owner of this Reserve. I did not come here from another country or from other nations - I was always here and always will be. […] For we are the real owners of the land from time immemorial as God create [sic] us Indians in this territory, so as God created the white people and other nations in their own territories in Europe; therefore we claim a permanent compensation for the enormous body of land known as the Province of British Columbia.

—Chief Charlie Matsqui, McKenna-McBride Commission

Work and Education

When miners and thousands of settlers arrived in Matsqui territory, it had a big impact on the Matsqui community. Most of their natural resources, like forests, fish, and land, were now controlled by the newcomers. Matsqui children were sent to residential schools, and adults often had to find jobs in only a few industries.

However, over the last century, there have been great improvements. Matsqui people have achieved more in education, found more meaningful jobs, and have started successful businesses and self-governance projects.

Throughout the 1900s, Matsqui people worked both on and off the reserve. The money they earned helped them continue traditional practices like harvesting, hunting, and fishing, and newer activities like raising cattle or growing potatoes. Early in the century, many Matsqui worked in fish canning factories or hop yards. Later, they logged trees, planted new ones, and harvested cascara bark on Three Islands reserve. They also picked berries in the Fraser Valley and on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Many Matsqui children attended St. Mary's Indian Residential School in Mission. Sadly, they sometimes faced abuse and mistreatment there. One sad result of the school was a sharp drop in the number of Halq’eméylem speakers between 1863 and 1965, the years the school was open.

Today, most Matsqui youth go to public schools in the Abbotsford School District. The Abbotsford School District now offers cultural awareness programs. These programs are part of partnerships with the Matsqui government and the nearby Sumas First Nation. Matsqui students' success rates in education have been steadily improving.

Later Developments

At the start of the 1900s, most Matsqui people lived on a hill at Matsqui Main Reserve. This allowed them to tend their orchards and avoid seasonal flooding. Later, as the dyke system improved, Matsqui people began to move their homes to lower ground.

Many Matsqui homes were flooded during the 1948 Fraser River flood. Matsqui member Joan Silver remembered the dyke breaking: "I remember seeing my Aunt Helen's house [...] I don't know how many days it was. All you could see was [...] their chimney."

In 1995 and 1996, many of the old orchards at Matsqui Main Reserve were removed. This happened when the band leased part of the reserve to a company that extracts sand and gravel. The area where the extraction happened is now mostly flat with thin, leafy trees.

Part of the Matsqui Main Reserve can be accessed by the public through the Greater Vancouver Regional District Trail. This trail runs through the reserve and is part of the larger Trans Canada Trail.

In the summer of 2015, the Matsqui completed building a new Community Complex. This complex includes an Administration Building, a Health Building, and a full-size Gymnasium.

Matsqui Indian Reserves Today

Today, the Matsqui First Nation manages four reserves:

• Sahhacum - Matsqui Reserve #1: This reserve is east of Abbotsford, BC, and is located on Highway 11 within the city of Abbotsford.
• Matsqui Main - Matsqui Reserve #2: This reserve is on the left bank of the Fraser River, southwest of Mission, within the city of Abbotsford.
• Three Islands - Matsqui Reserve #3: This reserve is located in the Fraser River, directly north of Matsqui Main, in the District of Mission.
• Aldergrove - Matsqui Reserve #4: This reserve is along the border between Canada and the United States, within the Township of Langley.

Images for kids

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  Matsqui's new Administration Building, Health Building, and Gymnasium (opened summer 2015).