The Destruction of Sen̓áḵw (Kitsilano Reserve No. 6)

The land here, southwest of the Burrard Bridge, near Vanier Park, was once a traditional village called Sen̓áḵw. About 150 Squamish people lived here in 20 families. In 1877, this 34-hectare area was allotted to the Squamish Nation under the Indian Act and became Kitsilano Indian Reserve No. 6. The name Kitsilano comes from a Squamish chief, X̱ats'alanexw, or August Jack Khatsahlano.

But the Squamish people didn't get to stay here long. In 1913, the B.C. government, under Premier Richard McBride, forced them to leave their homes so Vancouver could expand. This was made legal by a 1911 amendment to the Indian Act, which allowed for the removal of Indigenous people from reserves within cities without their consent.

The residents of Sen̓áḵw were given about two days to pack up. They were offered a small amount of money, but many didn't want to leave. They were forced onto a barge and sent to North Vancouver, to other Squamish Nation reserves like Mission Indian Reserve No. 1, or Eslha7an, near what is now Lonsdale Quay, and Capilano Indian Reserve No. 5, or X̱wemelch'stn. As soon as they were gone, the government burned down their homes and sheds here.

Over the next century, this land was crisscrossed by railway lines, the Burrard Street bridge, and various leases. Today, it includes the Vancouver Museum, the Planetarium, a Molson's brewery, a housing complex, and Vanier Park.

In 1977, the Squamish Nation accused the federal government of failing to protect their reserve lands from being wrongfully taken. Then, in 2000, the Nation voted for a $92.5-million land-claims settlement, which included the return of 4.7 hectares of reserve land. So, in 2002, the Squamish Nation regained a small part of the original reserve, which is now today's Kitsilano Indian Reserve No. 6. This is the area where the Squamish Nation is proposing to build up to 3,000 apartment units today.