The Semiahmoo are a Coast Salish people whose homeland is in the Lower Mainland region of southwestern British Columbia, Canada.
Historically, the Semiahmoo people inhabited the Blaine and Birch Bay area of what would later become Whatcom County, Washington. They were there for thousands of years before European settlement. Their territory extended beyond the current international border, including the area around Semiahmoo Spit, Birch Bay, Point Whitehorn, Lake Terrell, and the drainage basins of California and Dakota creeks. Additionally, their territory extended north and west into what would later become British Columbia, covering the areas of White Rock, Mud Bay, Boundary Bay, and the eastern shore of Point Roberts.
In the early 1850s, most of the Semiahmoo moved a short distance north of Blaine, just before the arrival of the first European-American settlers. This relocation placed them in Canada when the international boundary was drawn.
Specifically, they settled in an area that is now part of the Semiahmoo Indian Reserve, northwest of the Canadian side of Peace Arch Park, an area they were already familiar with. In the early 1850s, some Snokomish survivors of a smallpox epidemic joined the Semiahmoo, and the tribe absorbed what had formerly been Snokomish territory in southwestern British Columbia, including the shorelines of the Nicomekl and Serpentine rivers, as well as part of what is now Surrey.
Culturally and linguistically, the Semiahmoo were a Straits Salish band. On both sides of the international border, the Semiahmoo people were united by their North Straits Salish language and their tradition of using an elaborate reef net system to catch sockeye salmon during their migration to spawning grounds in the Fraser River.
Their history and cultural ties spanned this large area across Washington State, the Strait of Georgia (now known as the Salish Sea), and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.
Historically, the Semiahmoo were known as a peaceful group, engaging in warfare only when necessary for their defense. Rather than a formal political structure, they were divided into politically and economically autonomous households. They lived in plank homes that housed several related families.
Although the Semiahmoo inhabited a large area, they were a relatively small band. A 1790 estimate placed their numbers at about three hundred. There were fewer than a hundred of them by the early 1900s after a smallpox epidemic hit them hard.
In Canada, the Semiahmoo built forts for protection against other First Nations groups, and in reaction to the Hudson Bay Company's at Fort Langley. However, their forts fell into disrepair after the establishment of the Colony of British Columbia in the late 1850s.
The Semiahmoo Reserve was established in 1887. Situated on Semiahmoo Bay in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, the reserve sits along the international border with Washington State. The reserve is under the administration of the Semiahmoo First Nation, a band government of the Semiahmoo people.
From 1942 to 1996, more than half of the reserve's land area was leased by the band to the Municipality of Surrey for recreational uses, although both the City of White Rock and the City of Surrey used the land, known. as Semiahmoo Park, for landfill and infrastructure purposes.
In 2009, the Semiahmoo Nation removed a large dog park that had operated near the East Beach area for many years, citing vandalism as the reason. The following year, they built a six-foot-high fence extending from the reservation, following the length of their land, restricting access by non-members.
The Semiahmoo First Nation has established the SE-MI-AH-MU Development Corporation to create business partnerships and to create and manage business opportunities for the Nation.
In this portion of our guide to American Indian and First Nations communities, we have focused on the Semiahmoo people and the Semiahmoo First Nation. Online resources for the Nation's government, its businesses, enterprises, schools, medical facilities, or other entities, as well as programs, events, and informational sources, are appropriate for this category. Businesses and organizations operated by individual Semiahmoo people could be included here, as well.
Recommended Resources
The fully indigenous-owned marijuana dispensary is operated by the SE-MI-AH-MU Development Corporation on Semiahmoo First Nation land. It offers a wide variety of cannabis products, which are listed and described here. The website features its location, hours of operation, daily sales items, and a gallery of photographs. It also introduces its Greenpoints Loyalty Program, which offers exclusive member rewards. An online shopping area includes a catalog of its products.
https://semicanna.com/
The band government of the Semiahmoo people is a Coast Salish subgroup that controls the Semiahmoo Indian Reserve, situated between the boundary of White Rock, British Columbia, and the US-Canada boundary and Peace Arch Provincial Park. The Nation's government, chief, and council are introduced, along with its mission, vision, and agreements. Land and resource management, finance and administrative, and emergency services departments are featured, and office hours and contacts are included.
https://www.semiahmoofirstnation.ca/
