Map of First Nations in B.C
The First Nations of BC refer to those people that can trace their ancestry to the aboriginal people that inhabited the land that is now British Columbia prior to the arrival of Europeans and Americans in the late 18th century.
British Columbia’s population of First Nations peoples, those that inhabited the land prior to the invasion of the Europeans and Americans. The First Nations of BC account for one third of all of the First Nations in Canada; there 198 different tribes, each with its own beliefs, stories, and practices.
There are more than thirty languages spoken by the First Nations of British Columbia. Some include the dialect of the Haisla, Heiltsuk, Kwakiutl, and Nootka sects. Each language has its own origin, depending on the location of a specific tribe. “Beaver” is spoken in the Northeast of British Columbia; it falls under the Athabaskan category.
Unfortunately, all of the native languages are endangered, while a handful has already vanished. Pentlatch, which was spoken in the central east region of Vancouver, for example, became extinct in 1940. Not very many First Nations children learn the language of their ancestors, so there is a small population of youth speakers.