Scia'new First Nation

The Beecher Bay First Nation (in Saanich SCʼIȺNEW, anglicized as Sciaʼnew or Scʼianew) is a band government of First Nations people in British Columbia. Beecher Bay lands are located on southern Vancouver Island in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and include Beecher Bay (also known as Becher Bay), Fraser Island, Lamb Island, Long-neck Island, Twin Island, Village Island, and Whale Island.^[5]

Beecher Bay
Band No. 640
SCʼIȺNEW

Map of Beecher Bay First Nation tribal territory
People	Coast Salish
Treaty	Douglas Treaties
Headquarters	Sooke
Province	British Columbia
Land[1]
Main reserve	Becher Bay 1
Other reserve(s)	List Becher Bay 2 Fraser Island 6 Lamb Island 5 Long Neck Island 9 Twin Island 10 Village Island 7 Whale Island 8
Land area	307.7 km2
Population (2024)[2]
On reserve	103
On other land	12
Off reserve	159
Total population	274
Government[3]
Chief	Russ Chipps
Council	Traci Pateman Sheeba Sawyer
Tribal Council[4]
Te'mexw Treaty Association
Website
scianew.com

They were party to the 1850-1854 Douglas Treaties and are negotiating a modern treaty as a member of the Te'mexw Treaty Association along with the Malahat, Nanoose, Songhees, and T'Sou-ke Nations. The Beecher Bay First Nation has a population of 261 as of March 2020.^[6][7]

Languages

The group recognizes four ancestral languages though not all are currently spoken.^[5] The name "SCʼIȺNEW" comes from the Klallam word for Beecher Bay, "xʷčiyánəxʷ."^[8] It is translated as "the place of the big fish,"^[5] literally "salmon place" from xʷ- 'location' and √č⟨iy⟩ánnəxʷ 'salmon'.^[8] The name is W̱ĆIYÁNEW̱ (also variously ĆIYÁNEW̱) in the Saanich dialect of Northern Straits, and is derived from the Klallam name.^[9]