Scia'new First Nation

The Beecher Bay First Nation 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, Fraser Island, Lamb Island, Long-neck Island, Twin Island, Village Island, and Whale Island.
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.

Languages

The group recognizes four ancestral languages though not all are currently spoken. The name "SC" comes from the Klallam word for Beecher Bay, "xʷčiyánəxʷ." It is translated as "the place of the big fish," literally "salmon place" from xʷ- 'location' and √č 'salmon'. The name is W̱ĆIYÁNEW̱ in the Saanich dialect of Northern Straits, and is derived from the Klallam name.