Traditional Land Use Study
The Shuswap Indian Band Chief and Council began this Traditional Land Use Study in the spring of 2007 to identify and document our traditional land use and cultural practices so that we may do our best to protect these for future generations. The two major components of the study included interviews with our Elders and land users, as well as archival and historical research. The research looked into the original way-of-life of our people, the history of our use of the land, and the changes that have occurred in our traditional lands since the fur trade and settlement of the Columbia Valley.
In addition to protecting the areas that are important to our people, we hope that this publication will enable the renewal of our culture, much of which was lost through a sequence of events such as the creation of reserves, the Residential School system, and the Grand Coulee Dam that stopped the salmon from reaching our community. This publication will be used to teach the younger generation about their heritage and to help 
keep our culture and traditions alive.
We would like tothank all the community members that contributed their knowledge and their time to this study, especially the Traditional Land Use Committee that got this project going. It could not have happened without the collaboration of the community.
Sincerely,
Chief Paul Sam
Councillor Clarissa Stevens
Councillor Alice Sam