The word Shuswap is an English version of Secwepemc. This traditional territory stretches from the Columbia River valley along the Rocky Mountains, west to the Fraser River, and south to the Arrow Lakes.
Most Secwepemc people live in the river valleys.
The traditional Secwepemc lived as a self-governing nation grouped into bands. Although the bands were separate and independent, a common language and a similar culture and belief system united them. Before the smallpox epidemic of 1862 there were thirty Secwepemc bands. Today, there are 17 remaining bands that make up the Secwepemc Nation. There are three Secwepemc dialects depending on what part of the Nation you are in.