SĆ’IȺNEW (Beecher Bay First Nation) 

SĆIȺNEW (pronounded CHEA-nuh) means “the place of the big fish” in the Klallam language. The language commonly spoken today in Beecher Bay is Hul’q’umi’num, however part of Sc’ianew traces their ancestry to people who spoke four different dialects. The community recognizes all four languages although they are not all currently spoken. SĆIȺNEW First Nation is located on Beecher Bay in East Sooke 30 km southwest of what is now known as Victoria. It has approximately 237 members.