Our territory covered the entire Cowichan valley, the surrounding region around Cowichan Lake and Shawnigan Lake, and extended into the Gulf Islands and the Fraser River. We would travel on water in hand-crafted canoes, and on land over an extensive network of trails.
Every year we were assured great riches as the spawning salmon returned to the Cowichan, Koksilah, and other rivers and streams. Their capture and distribution was carefully managed by our Elders through the use of fish weirs, a gift from the First Ancestor Syalutsa. The weirs ensured abundant fish for our people to eat, while allowing enough fish to reach the spawning beds to ensure future returns. Other resources were equally managed with an eye to future abundance.
Our ancestors touched the lands, rivers, and oceans in our territory lightly and with respect. We used only what nature provided, and only what we needed. Today, you can walk on ancient village sites and see little evidence of our ancestors’ presence because of this respect for the earth.
We were a large population – some put the estimate at 15,000 – and we were the most powerful tribe on the southern coast of what is now called British Columbia. We were the undisputed rulers of our territory. Each summer, a flotilla of Cowichan canoes, along with relatives from neighbouring tribes, traveled up the Fraser River to catch and dry sockeye salmon near Yale. We had a large summer village on Lulu Island at the mouth of the Fraser River, the site of what is now Vancouver International Airport, and another large village - Tl'uqtinus ('broad chest') at what is now Stevenston. Our homes at the summer camps were made from planks, bound together with leather strips, and we would dismantle them and take them from camp to camp.
The Cowichan of the past, like today, were anchored in our families. Through kinship, we are related to friends and neighbours throughout our traditional territory. Traditionally, the basis of Cowichan society was the household, which included members of several related families, all occupying a single longhouse.
Many households traced their roots back through generations to the original ancestors, thereby earning rights to territory, resources, social, and ceremonial privileges. The Elders, like today, were our respected leaders. Each village had a hereditary chief. Cowichan traditional life was also rooted in spirituality, based on rites and traditions brought by our First Ancestors. These continue to be honoured and practiced today.
