Musqueam’s ancestors have lived throughout and stewarded the Fraser River estuary for thousands of years.

Today, portions of Musqueam’s territory are called Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, New Westminster, Delta, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Surrey, UBC Endowment Lands, YVR Airport and Coquitlam.

You can explore our territory using the
interactive Musqueam Place Names Map.

Musqueam Declaration (1976)

On June 10, 1976, Musqueam’s elected leadership and membership signed the Musqueam Declaration, which states that Musqueam people “hold aboriginal title to our land, and aboriginal rights […] within that territory occupied and used by our ancestors, namely:

The lands, lakes and streams defined and included by a line commencing at Harvey Creek in Howe Sound and proceeding Eastward to the height of land and continuing on the height of land around the entire watershed draining into English Bay, Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm; South along the height of land between Coquitlam River and Brunette River to the Fraser River, across to the South or left bank of the Fraser River and proceeding downstream taking in the left Bank of the main stream and the South Arm to the sea, including all those intervening lands, islands and waters back along the sea shore to Harvey Creek, AND, the sea its reefs, flats, tidal lands and islands adjacent to the above described land and out to the centre of Georgia Strait.”

The below map with significant Musqueam place names was included in the Musqueam Declaration:

Read the Musqueam Declaration (June 10, 1976)