Musqueam provides a number of resources for educators and students.

Musqueam Teaching Kit

xʷməθkʷəy̓əm: qʷi:l̕qʷəl̕ ʔə kʷθə snəw̓eyəɬ ct (Musqueam: giving information about our teachings) is an interactive teaching kit and teacher’s resources.

The materials on the website support the educational resources the teaching kit, and include information about Musqueam’s:

• history
• culture
• hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language
• stories
• profiles of Musqueam people
• videos
• historic timeline

Explore the Musqueam Teaching Kit

Musqueam 101

Founded in 2001, Musqueam 101 is a community meal and speaker series for community members that brings together the knowledge of two communities, Musqueam and UBC.

The night begins with a catered meal, and then a guest speaker presents on a subject relevant to the community at Musqueam, or First Nations more generally. Each presentation is followed by a group question period and discussion of that week’s topic.

The program is offered to Musqueam community members, their guests, and invited visitors from UBC or other Indigenous communities. There is no registration, so community members can attend as often as they are able.

Find out more about Musqueam 101

Reciprocal Research Network

The Reciprocal Research Network (RRN) is an online tool to facilitate reciprocal and collaborative research about cultural heritage from the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. The RRN enables communities, cultural institutions and researchers to work together. Members can build their own projects, collaborate on shared projects, upload files, hold discussions, research museum projects, and create social networks. For both communities and museums, the RRN is groundbreaking in facilitating communication and fostering lasting relationships between originating communities and institutions around the world.

The RRN is being co-developed by the Musqueam Indian Band, the Stó:lō Nation/Tribal Council, the U’mista Cultural Society and the Museum of Anthropology. This collaboration ensures the needs of the originating communities as well as museums are taken into account at all stages of the development. Each co-developer has a member on the Steering Group and each of the First Nations has several Community Liaisons.

Find out more about the RRN

Framework Agreements Q and A

What are these agreements about, in brief?

On Friday, February 20th, the Musqueam Indian Band and the Government of Canada signed important agreements that recognize Musqueam’s rights and title in their territory. These agreements set up a way for both parties to discuss and negotiate how to gradually apply Musqueam’s rights and title.

The agreements focus on creating strong partnerships for projects that benefit everyone. They aim to restore the environment, protect habitats, remove invasive species, and clean up abandoned fishing gear. They also give Musqueam funding and tools to better manage the land and water in their Traditional Territory.

The four agreements are:

• Rights Recognition Agreement (šxʷq̓ʷal̕təl̕tən): This agreement recognizes that Musqueam has unextinguished Rights and Title. It acts as a guide for how Canada and Musqueam will work together in a nation-to-nation relationship.

• Fisheries Agreement: This agreement provides funding for Musqueam’s Fisheries Department to hire staff, train workers, and buy equipment. It also includes a 25-year commitment, allowing Musqueam to share decisions about fisheries management with Canada.

• Stewardship and Marine Management: This agreement funds efforts to protect Musqueam territory’s waters and lands. It establishes two working groups to help Musqueam guide activities like environmental monitoring, emergency spill response, and habitat restoration.

• YVR Revenue Sharing – Canada will share part of the lease money it receives from YVR with Musqueam. This agreement was signed in February 2025.

Some people believe these agreements were kept secret. Can clarity be provided to stop this spread of misinformation?

We were open about our agreements and celebrated them with our community, sharing the news on our social media and websites. While there has been some confusion about what these agreements mean, they are a key step for Musqueam in finding new ways to negotiate with the government and other partners, without going to court. You can find the full agreements on the Government of Canada’s website and more details on our website.

Do these agreements affect any private property?

These agreements do not affect private property or transfer ownership of any private property to Musqueam. The šxʷq̓ʷal̕təl̕tən Rights Recognition Agreement Section 5.1 says the following:

This Agreement does not constitute a treaty or land claims agreement within the meaning of sections 25 or 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.

To quote Chief Wayne Sparrow: “Musqueam is not coming for anyone’s private property. Our approach to traditional unceded territory is one of partnership and relationship with our neighbours, not trying to take away our neighbour’s private property”. 

A map of Musqueam Territory keeps appearing on social media. What is it exactly? 

The map shared on social media likely shows the Musqueam Statement of Intent Boundary which is a map showing Musqueam’s traditional territory since time immemorial. This is defined in the Musqueam Declaration, which was signed on June 10, 1976. 

Do these agreements affect other First Nations?

These agreements are specific to Musqueam and do not affect the section 35 rights of other Indigenous groups. 

Section 5.10 of The Rights Recognition Agreement states Nothing in this Agreement recognizes any Rights and Title for any Aboriginal people other than Musqueam or affects any Rights and Title of such other Aboriginal people.

We know other First Nations are concerned about these agreements. This part clarifies that the agreement doesn’t affect other Indigenous communities. We support other Nations in seeking similar agreements.

Is this a treaty? 

As mentioned above, no this is not a treaty. Musqueam was one of the first communities to join the BC treaty process in 1993, but left at the end of the 1990’s when it was decided that the treaty approach was not the right fit for Musqueam. These agreements are a brand-new type of agreement with the Government of Canada. We are forging a new path forward as we move towards Self Government.

Are Provincial or Municipal governments included in this agreement?

The Province of BC and the surrounding municipal governments are not affected by or implicated in these agreements. These are bilateral agreements between Canada and Musqueam. Depending on what work is being done, say cleaning up an area of the foreshore along the Fraser River, Musqueam and Canada can collaborate with the province or whatever Municipality is nearby to work together on cleaning up the area.