Qayqayt

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Qayqayt (pronounced ka-kite) was the name of an indigenous community located in the Brownsville area of Surrey, British Columbia. The community was part of the Kwantlen First Nation and Musqueam Indian band respectively. It was used as a site for fishing by many different First Nations, including the Kwantlen, Musqueam, Squamish, Katzie, Kwikwetlem, Semiahmoo, Tsleil-waututh, and Tsawwassen. [1]

The community's name is said to mean "resting place". [2] Though the term 'resting place' is used euphemistically to refer to the pre-contact Coast Salish funeral rights. In hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, 'qay' refers to death and dying, and a replication of the word describes the process of dying. This is possibly an allusion to the tree burials at ancient Qayqayt - with tree burials, the deceased person was placed in a wooden coffin in a tree. This allowed the elements to decay the body and reduce it to bones. Once the body was reduced to bones, the funeral box was taken down and placed in mausoleum-like structures, many of which were noted to be at Qayqayt.

The Journals of Simon Fraser show that he made first contact at Qayqayt on July 2, 1808. [3] There he met Whattlekainum, [4] a wealthy Tsawwassen man, who had married into the Kwantlen. After a dispute with residents of Qayqayt over a stolen item, Fraser kicked a young man from the village. An uproar ensued and the men of the village banded together to kill Fraser and his party in retribution. However, Whattlekainum used his vast wealth to convince the men not to kill Fraser, and had him escorted out of the territory and back up river.

The community slowly declined in the early 20th century as the land was disrupted by construction of the Pattullo Bridge. By 1960, both the Musqueam and Kwantlen reserves at Qayqayt were sold.

In 1994, the name of the historic community of Qayqayt was appropriated by the New Westminster Indian Band. The New Westminster band is not a successor to the community at Qayqayt, and has gone so far as to misrepresent the community's location.[ citation needed ]

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References

  1. ↑ "Pattullo Bridge Replacement Project" (PDF).
  2. ↑ "BC Geographical Names". apps.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  3. ↑ Fraser, Simon (30 May 2007). The Letters and Journals of Simon Fraser, 1806-1808. Dundurn. ISBN   978-1-55002-713-6.
  4. ↑ "Kwantlen of the Coast Salish: A Halkomelem tribe". www.surreyhistory.ca. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
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