Cowichan Tribes: BC’s Largest First Nation Community
“Shhweenustham ‘u tu Quw’utsun Hwulmuhw”
The People of the Warm Land Welcome You
We have been delegated responsibilities for a variety of member services including Children & Families, Education, Health, Housing, Membership, and Social Development.
With 4,800+ members, we are the largest single First Nation Community in British Columbia.
Our ‘warm land’ is located in the beautiful Cowichan Valley region on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.
About half of our members live on the Reserve. Ours is a relatively young population, with a large percentage of the population under the age of 35.
We have seven traditional villages: Kw’amutsun, Qwum’yiqun’, Hwulqwselu, S’amuna’, L’uml’umuluts, Hinupsum, Tl’ulpalus.
Learn about our history and culture, find out about the wide range of member services and check out the exciting projects and initiatives we have underway.
- Total Reserve area is currently 2,400 hectares (5,900 acres), made up of nine Reserves.
- Core Traditional Territory is approximately 375,000 hectares (900,000 acres).
- Governed by a Chief and 12 Councillors, within the framework of the Indian Act.
- Part of the Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group. In Stage 4 (Agreement in Principle) of the Treaty Process.
- Delegated responsibilities in Children and Families, Education, Health, Housing, and Social Development.
- Own and operate Khowutzun Development Corporation (KDC) group of companies, which includes:
- Khowutzun Forest Services Limited Partnership (KFCLP)
- Quw’utsun Cultural and Conference Centre (QCCC)
- Collective annual revenues of over $57 million.
- 800+ employees – one of the single largest employers in the region.
