Sumas First Nation

{{Infobox First Nation

| band_name = Sumas First Nation

| band_number = 578

| endonym = Semá:th

| image =

| caption =

| map =

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| people = Sto:lo

| treaty =

| headquarters = Abbotsford

| province = {{BC}}

| main_reserve = Upper Sumas 6

| reserve = Pekw'Xe:yles

| area = 2.453

| pop_year = 2025

| on_reserve = 154

| on_other_land = 35

| off_reserve = 194

| total_pop =

| chief = Dalton Silver

| council =

| tribal_council =

| website = {{URL|https://sumasfirstnation.com/}}

| footnotes =

}}

The Sumas First Nation (Halkomelem: Sema:th{{Cite web |title=About Sumas First Nation |url=https://sumasfirstnation.com/about-sumas-first-nation/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241108175654/https://sumasfirstnation.com/about-sumas-first-nation/ |archive-date=November 8, 2024 |access-date=February 8, 2025 |website=Sumas First Nation}}) Sumalh or Sumas Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people{{Cite web |title=Sumas First Nation |url=https://www.bcafn.ca/first-nations-bc/lower-mainland-southwest/sumas-first-nation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241011211437/https://www.bcafn.ca/first-nations-bc/lower-mainland-southwest/sumas-first-nation |archive-date=October 11, 2024 |access-date=February 8, 2025 |website=BC Assembly of First Nations |publisher= |location=}} located in the Upper Fraser Valley region, at the community of Kilgard a.k.a. Upper Sumas, part of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada.{{Cite web|title=First Nation Detail - Sumas First Nation|website=Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada|publisher=Government of Canada|access-date=February 8, 2025|url=https://fnp-ppn.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/fnp/Main/Search/FNMain.aspx?BAND_NUMBER=578&lang=eng}} They are a member government of the Sto:lo Nation tribal council.

Its governance structure is a custom electoral system. The current chief is Dalton Silver. The official language is Halq'eméylem.

The group occupies the region near the Sumas Prairie, and historically used Sumas Lake as "our supermarket, our shopping centre," before it was drained by colonial authorities who wanted to farm the land underneath. When the lake was drained, the First Nation was pushed onto a nearby reserve so that settlers could use the fertile soil underneath the lake. The First Nation occupies higher ground near the Prairie, not the prairie on the lake-bed itself, so they did not have to evacuate when the former lake flooded during the November 2021 Pacific Northwest floods.{{Cite news |last=McSheffrey |first=Elizabeth |date=November 18, 2021 |title=Sumas First Nation chief reflects on ‘disaster’ B.C. flooding where lake used to be |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8385289/sumas-lake-reflection-first-nations/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604032445/https://globalnews.ca/news/8385289/sumas-lake-reflection-first-nations/ |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |access-date=February 8, 2025 |work=Global News}}

Before 1962 the people were known as Sumas (Kilgard) and are distinct from the Leqʼá꞉mel who were also known as the Sumas before 1962.{{Cite web |title=Leq'a: mel |url=https://www.bcafn.ca/first-nations-bc/lower-mainland-southwest/leqa-mel |access-date=August 18, 2022 |website=BC Assembly of First Nations |publisher= |location=}} Other previous names include: Nicomen Slough, Somass River and Sumas Tribe. The name "Sumas" means "big flat opening" or "land without trees" and is derived from a Cowichan tribe.{{cite web |last=Dougherty |first=Phil |date=November 5, 2009 |title=Sumas — Thumbnail History |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/9204 |access-date=August 21, 2022 |website=HistoryLink.org |publisher= |location=}}

Their reserve land area covers 245.3 hectares and has a population of 383.{{cite web |date= |title=Sumas First Nation - Province of British Columbia |url=https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/consulting-with-first-nations/first-nations-negotiations/first-nations-a-z-listing/sumas-first-nation |accessdate=February 19, 2022 |website=gov.bc.ca |publisher=}} In 2021, 60 hectares of government land adjacent to Fraser River Heritage Park and the Pekw’xe:yles Indian Reserve, the former site of St. Mary's Indian Residential School, was transferred to the Leq’á:mel, Matsqui (Mathexwi) and Sumas First Nations Society.{{cite news |last1=Mills |first1=Kevin |date=June 26, 2020 |title=Historic land-transfer agreement in works between District of Mission, First Nations, province |url=https://www.missioncityrecord.com/news/historic-land-transfer-agreement-in-works-between-district-of-mission-first-nations-province/ |access-date=August 22, 2022 |work=Mission City Record |publisher=Black Press |location=}}{{cite news |last1=Penner |first1=Patrick |date=July 21, 2021 |title=Historic agreement signed in Mission transfers 60 hectares of Crown land back to First Nations |url=https://www.abbynews.com/news/historic-agreement-signed-in-mission-transfers-60-hectares-of-crown-land-back-to-first-nations/ |access-date=August 22, 2022 |work=Mission City Record |publisher=Black Press |location=}} Not being reserve land, the property remains under provincial and local government laws. Most of it was leased back to the government for use as a park and recreational area. The property also contains pre-contact archaeological sites.

The First Nation band council runs a number of businesses including Semath Industries.