Shuswap

The Shuswap are a Salishan people who traditionally lived in the Fraser and Columbia river valleys of British Columbia. They are also known by the name Shuswap, and their language is also called Shuswap. The Shuswap are part of the larger group of Plateau Indians, who inhabited the semiarid region between the Rocky Mountains and the coastal cordillera. This region was characterized by sagebrush, grass, and pine groves, with rivers and streams providing a reliable food source, particularly salmon.12

Most Salish tribes, including the Shuswap, were organized into loosely connected bands of families, each with its own leader and territory. While many Salish groups lived in earth-covered lodges, western Shuswap tribes, who traded with the Northwest Coast Indians, adopted some of their customs, including clans and castes.2