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Native American Tribes of British Columbia

This is an index to the Native American language and cultural information on our website pertaining to British Columbia Indian tribes. Some pages contain more information than others. If you belong to an indigenous tribe from British Columbia that is not currently listed on this page and you would like to see it here, please contact us about how to contribute information to our site.

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British Columbia has the second-largest First Nations population among Canadian provinces, with more than 270,000 indigenous people living in 198 tribal reserves throughout British Columbia. About 15,000 of these people, most of them elders, still speak their Native languages. The most spoken languages of British Columbia today are the Athabaskan languages Carrier (Dakelh) and Nisga'a-Gitksan, each of which has around 2000 speakers. Indigenous British Columbia languages are considered severely endangered at this time due to the low number of children learning them at home, but there are school and community programs in many First Nations of British Columbia working to reverse that trend and teach the children their ancestral languages again.

The original inhabitants of the area that is now British Columbia include:

The Babine-Wet'suwet'en	The Beaver Tribe	The Bella Coola
The Carrier Tribe	The Chilcotin	The Comox
The Cowichan	The Cree	The Gitksan
The Haida	The Haisla	The Halkomelem
The Heiltsuk	The Kaska	The Klallam
The Kutenai	The Kwakiutl	The Lillooet
The Makah Tribe	The Nanaimo	The Nisga'a
The Nuuchahnulth (Nootka)	The Okanagan	The Qualicum
The Sechelt	The Sekani	The Shuswap
The Slavey	The Squamish	The Sto:lo
The Straits Salish (Saanich/Sooke)	The Tahltan	The Thompson
The Tlingit Tribe	The Tsetsauts	The Tsimshian Tribe

Reserves of official First Nations in British Columbia today include:

Adams Lake First Nation PO Box 588 Chase, BC VOE 1MO	Ahousaht First Nation General Delivery Ahousaht, BC V0R 1A0	Anderson Lake First Nation PO Box 88 D'Arcy, BC V0N 1LO
Ashcroft First Nation PO Box 440 Ashcroft, BC V0K 1AO	Bonaparte First Nation PO Box 669 Cache Creek, BC VOK 1HO	Boothroyd First Nation PO Box 295 Boston Bar, BC V0K 1CO
Boston Bar First Nation S.S. #1 Boston Bar, BC V0K 1CO	Bridge River First Nation PO Box 190 Lillooet, BC V0K 1V0	Broman Lake First Nation PO Box 760 Burns Lake BC V0J 1E0
Burns Lake First Nation PO Bag 9000 Burns Lake BC V0J1E0	Canim Lake First Nation PO Box 1030 100 Mile House, BC V0K 2E0	Canoe Creek First Nation General Delivery Dog Creek, BC V0L 1J0
Cayoose Creek First Nation PO Box 484 Lillooet, BC V0K 1V0	Chemainus First Nation R.R. #1, Silverstrand Rd Ladysmith, BC V0R 2EO	Cold Water First Nation PO Bag 4600 Merritt, BC V0K 1B8
Columbia Lake First Nation (Kutenai) PO Box 130 Windermere, BC VOB 2LO	Comox First Nation 3320 Comox Rd Courtenay, BC V9N 3P8	Cook's Ferry First Nation PO Box 130 Spences Bridge, BC V0K 2LO
Cowichan First Nation 5760 Allenby Rd Duncan, BC V9L 5J1	Cowichan Lake First Nation PO Box 1376 Lake Cowichan, BC V0R 2GO	Dease River First Nation PO Box 3500 Good Hope Lake, BC VOC 2ZO
Douglas First Nation Unit C 7311 James Street Mission, BC V2V 3V5	Ehatteshaht First Nation PO Box 716 Campbell River, BC V9W 6J3	Esquimalt First Nation 1000 Thomas Road Victoria BC V9A 7K7
Fort Ware First Nation #3 - 1257 4th Avenue V2L 3J5 Prince George, BC	Gitanmaax First Nation PO Box 440 Hazelton, BC V0J 1YO	Gitlakdamix Band Council PO Box 233 New Aiyansh, BC VOJ 1AO
Gitwangak First Nation PO Box 400 Kitwanga, BC VOJ 2AO	Gitwinksihlkw First Nation PO Box 1 Gitwinksihlkw, BC VOJ 3TO	Glen Vowell First Nation PO Box 157 Hazelton, BC V0J 1YO
Halalt First Nation R.R.#1 Chemainus, BC V0R 1KO	Hesquiaht First Nation PO Box 2000 Tofino, BC VOR 2ZO	High Bar First Nation PO Box 458 Clinton, BC VOK 1KO
Hupacasath First Nation PO Box 211 Port Alberni, BC V9Y 7M7	Huu-ay-aht First Nation PO Box 70 Bamfield, BC VOR 1BO	Kamloops First Nation 315 Yellowhead Highway Kamloops, BC V2H 1H1
Kanaka Bar First Nation PO Box 210 Lytton, BC V0K 1Z0	Kincolith First Nation General Delivery Kincolith, BC VOV 1BO	Kispiox First Nation PO Box 25, R.R. 1 Hazelton, BC VOJ 1Y0
Kluskus First Nation 1329 Hwy. 97 North, Box 4639 Quesnel, BC V2J 3J8	Kwa-Wa-Aineuk First Nation PO Box 344 Port McNeill, BC V0N 2R0	Kwiakah First Nation 1440 North Island Highway Campbell River, BC V9W 2E3
Kwicksutaineuk-Ah-Kwaw-Ah-Mish General Delivery Simoon Sound, BC V0P 1S0	Kyuquot First Nation (Nuu-Chah-Nulth) General Delivery Kyuquot, BC VOP 1JO	Lakalzap First Nation General Delivery Greenville, BC VOJ 1XO
Liard First Nation PO Box 328 Watson Lake, YU YOA 1CO	Lillooet First Nation PO Box 615 Lillooet, BC V0K 1V0	Lower Kootenay First Nation PO Box 1107 Creston, BC VOB 1GO
Lower Nicola First Nation R.R. #2, Site 17, Comp. 18 Merritt, BC V0K 2B0	Lower Similkameen First Nation PO Box 100 Keremeos, BC VOX 1NO	Lyackson First Nation 9137 Chemainus Road Chemainus, BC V0R 1K5
Mamaleleqala-Qwe-Qwa-Sot-Enox 1400 Weiwaikum Rd Campbell River, BC V9W 5W8	Mowachaht First Nation PO Box 459 Gold River, BC VOP 1GO	Mount Currie First Nation PO Box 165 Mount Currie, BC VON 2KO
Musqueam Indian Band 6735 Salish Drive Vancouver, BC V6N 4C4	Nadleh Whut'en PO Box 36 Fort Fraser BC V0J 1N0	Nak'azdli PO Box 1329 Fort St. James BC V0J 1P0
Neskonlith First Nation PO Box 608 Chase, BC VOE 1MO	Nicomen First Nation PO Box 328 Lytton, BC V0K 1Z0	Nooaitch First Nation PO Bag 6000 Merritt, BC V0K 2BO
North Thompson First Nation PO Box 220 Barriere, BC VOE 1EO	Nuchatlaht First Nation PO Box 40 Zeballos, BC VOP 2AO	Nuxalk Nation (Bella Coola) PO Box 65 Bella Coola, BC VOT 1CO
Okanagan First Nation R.R. #7, Site 8, Comp.20, Westside Rd. Vernon, BC V1T 7Z3	Opetchesaht First Nation PO Box 211 Port Alberni, BC V9Y 7M7	Oregon Jack Creek First Nation PO Box 940 Ashcroft, BC V0K 1AO
Osoyoos First Nation Site 25, Comp.1, R.R. #3 Oliver, BC V0H 1TO	Pauquachin First Nation 8960 West Saanich Road Sidney, BC V8L 5W4	Penelakut First Nation PO Box 360 Chemainus, BC V0R 1KO
Penticton Indian Board R.R. #2, Site 80, Comp. 19 Penticton, BC V2A 6J7	Red Bluff First Nation PO Box 4693 Quesnel, BC V2J 3J9	St. Mary's First Nation Site 15, SS #3, Comp 55 Cranbrook, BC V1C 6H3
Samahquam First Nation Baptiste I.R. # 1B PO Box 360 Mount Currie, BC VON 2KO	Seton Lake First Nation Site 3, PO Box 76 Shalalth, BC V0N 3C0	Shackan First Nation PO Bag 6200 Merritt, BC V0K 2BO
Shuswap First Nation PO Box 790 Invermere, BC VOA 1KO	Siska First Nation PO Box 519 Lytton, BC VOK 1ZO	Skawahlook First Nation #1-7201 Vedder Rd. Chilliwack, BC V2R 4G5
Skeetchestn First Nation PO Box 178 Savona, BC VOK 2JO	Skookumchuk First Nation PO Box 190 Pemberton, BC VON 2LO	Skowkale First Nation PO Box 159 Sardis, BC V2R 1A7
Skuppah First Nation PO Box 116 Lytton, BC V0K 1Z0	Skway First Nation 44680 Schweyey Road Chilliwack, BC V2R 5M5	Soda Creek First Nation RR4 Site 15 Comp 2 Williams Lake BC V2G 4M8
Spuzzum First Nation R.R. # 1 Yale, BC V0K 2S0	Takla Lake First Nation General Delivery, Takla Landing Fort St. James, BC V0J 2T0	Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation PO Box 18 Tofino, BC VOR 2ZO
Tl'azt'en Nation PO Box 670 Fort St James BC V0J 1P0	Toquaht First Nation (Nuu-Chah-Nulth) PO Box 759 Ucluelet, BC VOR 3AO	Toosey First Nation PO Box 80 Riske Creek, BC VOL 1TO
Tsawataineuk First Nation General Delivery Kingcome Inlet, BC V0N 2B0	Tsawout First Nation PO Box 121 Saanichton, BC V8M 2C3	Tseshaht First Nation PO Box 1218 Port Alberni, BC V9Y 7M1
Tseycum First Nation 1210 Totem Lane Sidney, BC V8L 5S4	Ts'kw'aylaxw Box 609 Cache Creek, BC V0K 1H0	Uchucklesaht First Nation PO Box 1118 Port Alberni, BC V9Y 7L9
Ucluelet First Nation (Nuu-Chah-Nulth) PO Box 699 Ucluelet, BC VOR 3AO	Ulkatcho First Nation PO Box 3430 Anahim Lake, BC VOL 1CO	Upper Nicola First Nation PO Bag 3700 Merritt, BC V1K 1B8
Upper Similkameen First Nation PO Box 310 Keremeos, BC VOX 1NO	We Wai Kai Nation First Nation PO Box 220 Quathiaski Cove, BC VOP 1NO	We Wai kum / Campbell River 1400 Weiwaikum Rd Campbell River, BC V9W 5W8
Whispering Pines First Nation R.R.#1, Site 8, Comp.4 Kamloops, BC V2C 1Z3	Williams Lake First Nation PO Box 4 Williams Lake BC V2G 1M3	.

Other Aboriginal communities of British Columbia include:

British Columbia Métis Federation
390 - 3665 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC V5R 5W2
https://bcmetis.com/

Recommended books about British Columbia Native Americans:
(Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links)

We Are Born with the Songs Inside Us:
Interesting book of oral history from the British Columbia First Nations.

The First Nations of British Columbia:
Good anthropological survey of do

zens of British Columbia tribes.

In Celebration of Our Survival:
Collection of essays about the history and culture of British Columbia Natives.

The Poetics of Land and Identity Among British Columbia Indigenous Peoples
Book about traditional First Nations spirituality and worldview in British Columbia.

Tales of Ghosts:
Interesting book on the role of First Nations art in British Columbia in the 20th century.

Other resources about American Indian history, culture and society in British Columbia province:

British Columbia First Nations Summit: Intertribal council addressing British Columbia aboriginal issues.

Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs: Coalition of British Columbia First Nations working for indigenous rights.

First Nations Languages of British Columbia: Organization promoting indigenous BC languages.

Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society: Kelowna organization providing social services to British Columbia Natives.

University of British Columbia: Languages of BC: Online resources for First Nations British Columbia languages.

British Columbia Language Communities: Map of the locations where First Nations languages are spoken.

BC First Nations Reserve Map: Interactive images showing where the different indigenous reservations are located.

The Indians of British Columbia: 19th-century historical article on British Columbia Indians.

Unthinkable Loss: News article about the dark history of government boarding schools in British Columbia.

Interior Salish Tribes: Information on the Plateau Indian tribes of British Columbia.

Totem Poles in British Columbia: Website about the traditional Northwest Coast totem pole.

Pacific Northwest Native American Art: Photographs and links about Alaska and British Columbia native art designs.

British Columbia Cultural Objects: Museum exhibit with photos of British Columbia Native artifacts.

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