Who We Are

The Coast Salish History Project is an organization made up of contributing writers and experts on our history. It is open to people from throughout the Salish world, without regard for educational background.

Robert Jago (Kwantlen FN / Nooksack Tribe)

Robert is registered at Kwantlen on the Canadian side, and Nooksack on the American side. Robert is a co-founder and director of the Coast Salish History Project.

Brandon Gabriel (Kwantlen FN)

Brandon is the head of Octopus Spirit Enterprises Inc., and Indigenous arts and culture consulting firm. He is an advises on and reviews the histories of the Coast Salish History Project.

Bradley Shende

Bradley is a founding partner of Indigenext, and Indigenous business incubator. He advises the Coast Salish History Project on business matters.

Project Timeline

The CSHP began its work in 2021. During the launch phase, we successfully crowdsourced nearly $15,000 to operate our site, pay contractors, and promote our histories.

Unfortunately, due to the deaths of several family members of the co-founder, the project went into hiatus until 2023, when it was reconceptualized with the support of Octopus Spirit Enterprises and Indigenext.

Our first batch of contracted content was removed, and the project was restricted to focus on how historical data can be used to support Indigenous sovereignty. The new version of the CSHP is now being rolled out over the course of 2024, with a hard re-launch set for September.

Join Us

We are actively looking for Coast Salish people to join the Coast Salish History Project organization. As a member of the organization, you will help us recruit writers, direct historical research, and plan events and public outreach. The time commitment is very small, but the effects will be enormous.

This isn’t just for academics (but academics are welcome). We are looking for people who have a grasp of our history, even if it’s just from their corner of the Salish world. We want people who enjoy writing, reading history, and see the value in what we’re doing. If this sounds like you, please email us at ocm@coastsalish.info and tell us about yourself.