In-SHUCK-ch First Nations

In-SHUCK-ch is composed of three First Nations communities- Douglas, Skatin, and Samahquam- located within the lower Lillooet River Valley in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Their traditional territory is bounded in the west by the headwaters of the Mamquam River, in the south by the heads of Pitt and Stave Lakes, and in the east as far as the headwaters of the tributaries draining into the Fraser Canyon. The cities closest to their traditional territory are Pemberton and Mt. Currie in the north, and Harrison Hot Springs and Agassiz to the south.

The Douglas, Skatin and Samahquam communities are related through familial ties as well as culturally and linguistically. They are the southernmost of the four divisions making up the Lillooet ethnographic group. Their language, Ucwalmicwts, is one of many making up the Interior Salish language family. However many aspects of
In-SHUCK-ch culture are similar not only to the Thompson (Nla’kapmx) and Shuswap (Secwepemc) on the British Columbia Plateau, but also to the lower Fraser River (Halkomelem) and Squamish groups, due to their proximity.

The Lillooet River/ Harrison Lake corridor has been the lifeblood of the
In-SHUCK-ch since time immemorial, and their connection to the land remains an important factor in their cultural identity. They continue to make use of the salmon, the black-tailed deer, the berry patches and root gathering areas on which they subsisted for thousands of years. The red cedar tree played an important role in their clothing, basketry, and other manufactures, and still is an integral part of their ritual and ceremony.

In-SHUCK-ch traditional territory was an important focal point of activity in the colonial history of British Columbia, since it was the earliest route of travel to the Cariboo Gold Fields. Later the area was visited by Roman Catholic missionaries, who converted the communities to Christianity; and the Department of Indian Affairs, who allotted the Indian Reserves on which the communities are located today.

Click on any of the three community names for a more detailed history of the communities.

Copyright 2004 In-SHUCK-ch

In-SHUCK-ch Nation
41290-B Lougheed Hwy,
Deroche, BC, V0M 1G0

Ph: 604.820.6873
Fax: 604.820.6847
general@inshuckch.com