Beecher Bay (SC’IȺNEW̱) Nation’s community sits on Beecher Bay in East Sooke, 30 kilometres southwest of Victoria, on the south coast of Vancouver Island. For thousands of years, SC’IȺNEW̱ peoples have used and occupied these lands and waters, and the Nation’s lands today extend to Fraser Island, Lamb Island, Long-neck Island, Twin Island, Village Island and Whale Island.
The place name “SC’IȺNEW̱” (pronounced CHEA-nuh) translates from the Klallam language as “the place of the big fish.” The name reflects the Nation’s close connection to the waters of the Salish Sea and its identity as the Salmon People. As with other First Nation names in the region, it identifies what the inhabitants needed to know about the locale: here, the richness of sea life sustains the Nation’s community.
Part of SC’IȺNEW̱ Nation traces its ancestry to people who spoke four different dialects, and the community recognizes all four languages today, although they are not all currently spoken. Today, the SC’IȺNEW̱ community continues to apply its long knowledge of environmental management in its land and marine resources, including through the Cheanuh Marina and a marine spill-response partnership that has cut emergency response times from days to hours.
277 (as of June 2026)