Musqueam Indian Reserve
/məˈskwiːəm ˌɪn.di.ən rɪˈzɜːrv/noun
A historical English designation for a reserve associated with the Musqueam First Nation in what is now Vancouver, British Columbia.
Did you know?Musqueam is an English rendering of the nation’s own name, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, commonly connected with a local plant or grassland, while “reserve” reflects Canada’s colonial legal system.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact era
Hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓
xʷməθkʷəy̓əm
“The Musqueam people’s own name; commonly associated with a local plant, grass, or place of tall grasses, though translations vary by source.”
18th–19th Century
English
Musqueam
“An anglicized form of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm used in colonial maps, records, and English-language administration.”
15th–16th Century
Latin
Indus / India
“Indus referred to the Indus River and India to the region beyond it; European usage later applied “Indian” broadly and inaccurately to Indigenous peoples of the Americas.”
14th Century
Old French
reserver
“To keep back, retain, or set aside; borrowed into English as reserve.”
19th Century
Canadian English
Indian reserve
“A legally designated area set apart by the Canadian state for an Indigenous community under colonial legislation.”
Modern English
English
Musqueam Indian Reserve
“A historical or administrative designation referring to a Musqueam reserve; contemporary usage generally favors the specific official reserve name and the nation’s preferred terminology.”