The city of Surrey is built on the unceded ancestral lands of the Kwantlen, Musqueam, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen, Qayqayt and Kwikwetlem peoples. The land on which we live, learn, play, and work is stolen land, and still many of us live our lives ignorant of our own colonial history.
Words have power, and none more than names. Through this project we seek to use names to raise awareness, to educate, and to pay our respects to the Indigenous peoples of Surrey. In undertaking this project with us, however, we ask that you be mindful that land acknowledgments are merely recognition, not reparations. They can be the first step towards driving real change, but the road to decolonization and healing is a long and winding one—though well worth the journey for all involved.
S’olh tmexw te ikw’elo. Xolhemet te mekw’stam it kwelat
Elder Tillie Gutierrez of the Stō:lo Nation
(We have to take care of everything that belongs to us)
For more, see our About page.