Our Territory
The traditional territory of the Sumas First Nation, spans the heart of the Fraser Valley, where rivers, mountains, and wetlands have sustained our people since time immemorial. These lands are living ancestors, carrying our stories and responsibilities. From Sumas Mountain to the Fraser River, every place holds meaning. We honour this connection through stewardship, respect, and the protection of our natural and cultural heritage for future generations.
S’ólh Téméxw – Our Land
For countless generations, the Séma:th people have lived on and cared for the lands and waters that surround what is now known as Abbotsford. Our traditional territory once stretches between the Sumas and Vedder mountains, land North of the Fraser River, and includes the former Semá:th Xó:tsa (Sumas Lake).
Our traditional territory extended south across the (present day) United States border into Washington State, and northward towards the Stó꞉lō (Fraser River), and crossed the River into the Coastal Mountains. We shared some overlapping territory with the Máthxwí and Leq’á:mel First Nations.
Traditional Lands & Villages
Our lands were central to the Coast Salish territory; the our families moved freely amongst our villages to gather food and practice ceremony. Our traditional lands include Kw’ekw’e’i:qw (Sumas Mountain), Semá:th Xó:tsa (Sumas Lake) and drainage of the Stat′lo′ (streams) which lead into it.
There were seven (7) villages that were part of Semá:th, and our lands encompassed over 20,000 acres. The main upper Semá:th village of Kw’ekw’e’i:qw was located at our present-day reserve site, which is only a fraction of our traditional territory. Our neighbours called this area “Kilgard,” which name refers to a kiln brickwork factory that operated near one of our present administration offices.
About Semá:th Xó:tsa (Sumas Lake)
For thousands of years, a vast lake stretched between Sumas and Vedder mountains, within the unceded territory of the Stó:lō people (in the area today known as the Sumas Prairie).
The lake was a source of nourishment, a home, a transportation route, and a sacred place woven throughout oral histories. Its waters and wetlands provided an abundance of fish and waterfowl, sustaining families with rich and varied food sources.
In 1924, Semá:th Xó:tsa was drained and the land reclaimed in order to create fertile, productive farmlands. This act brought profound and lasting harm to the Stó:lō people, devastating an ecosystem that had sustained them for thousands of years.
Right: Sumas Lake freshet
Size and Impact
Sumas Lake was large and relatively shallow, covering approximately 10,000 acres. During spring freshet, the Lake expanded greatly, often reaching to be roughly three times its usual size.
The Lake was home to a complex ecosystem that fed the Semá:th and surrounding Nations – dozens of species of salmon, trout, sturgeon, and waterfowl provided an essential food source and spiritual connection.
Traditional Names for Our Places
S’ólh Téméxw
Our Land
SeÍ:tslehōq’
Marshall Lonzo Creek
Kw’ekw’e’i:qw
Sumas Mountain
Q’élem
Saar Creek
Semá:th Xó:tsa
Sumas Lake
Stótelō
Sumas River
Our Sacred Places
Discover the sacred places of the Semá:th people, lands that hold our stories, ceremonies, and enduring spiritual connection to the ancestors.
Our Sacred Places
Lightning Rock
A site on Sumas Mountain is home to a sacred transformer stone known as Lightning Rock — one of more than a hundred places in Stó:lō oral history where ancestors were transformed into stone. Lightning Rock is also located near an ancestral burial ground, where victims of the smallpox epidemics of the 18th century were laid to rest.
On March 31, 2025, a parcel of land on Sumas Mountain, including the Lightning Rock site and the ancestral burial grounds, was formally returned to Semá:th from the Province of British Columbia.
Our Sacred Places
Thunderbird Caves
Thunderbird Caves is a series of natural caves on the South-facing side of Sumas Mountain. Thunderbird Caves has long been a place in Semá:th oral history; the stories tell of a great flood, and how the people who lived near the mountain took refuge high on the mountain, and in the caves, until the flood waters receded.
