q̓ic̓əy̓… land of the moss

Three regional dialects of the Hul’q’umi’nəm’, hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, or Halq’emeylem, dialect continuum represent one of the ten Central Coast Salish languages.

The actual name of the language — whether it is Hul’q’umi’nəm’, hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, or Halq’emeylem — corresponds to the dialect of a particular geographic area.

hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ is the ancestral language of the original First Nations peoples whose territory extends from the mouth of the Fraser river and upstream as far as the Stave River. It includes the First Nations communities of sc̓əwaθen (Tsawwassen), xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), “q̓ə́yc̓əy(Katzie) and qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen).

hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ is geographically and linguistically situated between the other two related dialect groups: Hul’q’umi’nəm’, which is spoken around the southeastern end of Vancouver Island and on some of the Gulf Islands, and Halq’emeylem spoken from the Matsqui up the Fraser River to below Hope.