Məθkʷəy̓əm
/məθkʷəy̓əm/noun
The Indigenous name of the Musqueam people and their traditional territory around the lower Fraser River and present-day Vancouver, British Columbia.
Did you know?Məθkʷəy̓əm is the name from which the English form “Musqueam” developed, but the traditional name belongs to the Musqueam people and their own language, hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact period
hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓
məθkʷəy̓əm
“Traditional name associated with the Musqueam people and their homeland in the lower Fraser River region.”
18th–19th centuries
European records
Musqueam
“Colonial English rendering of the Indigenous name məθkʷəy̓əm.”
19th century
English
Musqueam
“Name used in maps, government documents, and other colonial records for the people and community.”
20th century
English and hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓
Musqueam / məθkʷəy̓əm
“Both the anglicized and traditional forms continued in use, with Indigenous orthography increasingly restored and maintained.”
Modern English
English
Musqueam
“The commonly used English form for the Musqueam Nation, while məθkʷəy̓əm remains the traditional-language form.”
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