Seabird Island Indian Band

Overview

This is Seabird Island First Nation located in the upper Fraser Valley, three kilometers northeast of the town of Agassiz, British Columbia.

The English designation of Seabird Island is derived from the June 1858 grounding of the transport paddle wheeler Sea Bird, on an island, in the Fraser River, across from Sq’éwqel. Halq’emeylem for “turn in the river”, Sq’éwqel is referred to by Indian Reserve Commissioner (1878 – 1880) Gilbert M Sproat as Skow-a-kull in his allocation statement and accompanying sketch of Seabird Island.

Sq’éwqel identified a village located at the northern tip of Seabird Island, across the river from Skw’átits or what is contemporarily known as Peter’s Reserve. In June 1879, G. M. Sproat, Indian Reserve Commissioner, in consultation with interested First Nations people, allocated the island called “Skow-a-kull” as a reserve to be held in common by the people from Popkum, Skw’átits, Ohamil, Ska-wah-look, Hope, Union Bar and Yale.

In 1958, Seabird Island was designated an independent band.

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