Sechelt (shashishalhem) is the ancestral language of the Sechelt people (shishalh), whose territory extends from Jervis Inlet to Howe Sound on the south coast of British Columbia. Like many other indigenous languages, Sechelt has been in decline for over a century and is now in peril of becoming extinct. The Sechelt Dictionary is part of an ongoing effort to preserve a knowledge of this language and to encourage a revival of its use by present and future generations of Sechelt people. Ronald C. Beaumont has been studying the Sechelt language since 1970. The Sechelt Dictionary and an earlier work, she shashishalhem: the Sechelt Language (1985), are based on information given to the author by more than thirty elders representing the last generations of speakers to learn Sechelt as their first language. NOTE: The material in this file is for personal information only. Any use of this material, for research or any other purpose that is intended for publication, must be approved by the Sechelt Indian Band. www.secheltnation.ca