Weaving Knowledge Systems Resource Materials

Indigenous oral narratives are an important source for, and component of, Coast Salish knowledge systems. Stories are not only to be recounted and passed down; they are also intended as tools for teaching.

Jo-ann Archibald worked closely with Elders and storytellers, who shared both traditional and personal life-experience stories, in order to develop ways of bringing storytelling into educational contexts. Indigenous Storywork is the result of this research and it demonstrates how stories have the power to educate and heal the heart, mind, body, and spirit. It builds on the seven principles of respect, responsibility, reciprocity, reverence, holism, interrelatedness, and synergy that form a framework for understanding the characteristics of stories, appreciating the process of storytelling, establishing a receptive learning context, and engaging in holistic meaning-making. [From Publisher]

Collective essay in book by University of the Fraser Valley's Lens Project: Women's citizenship and identity in Stó:lō Territory.

Stó:lō members face uphill battle to preserve sacred sites. [From Author]

Number words emphasize interrelationships between language, culture and quantitative reasoning. Throughout history and across the globe, we see a great variety of number systems with different bases, with or without positional notation. Halq'eméylem language reveals a number system unlike any other.. Stó:lō people use different number words depending on what is being counted. People, animals, trees, rocks--they each are counted using different words for numbers. [From Author]

President's Leadership Lecture Series - Sound - Word - Story: A Short Linguistic Introduction to the Halq'emeylem Language - January 24, 2019 | 5:00 PM Gathering Place, Chilliwack Campus at Canada Education Park [From Website]

This paper has three goals: 1) briefly outline the process through which Shxw’õwhámél came to adopt the Siyá:m System in 1994; 2) highlight certain concerns about the limitations of that system as articulated by community members in 2006; and 3) provide a detailed discussion of those historical government and missionary actions that served to isolate and curtail inter-village family relationships. [From Author]

This re-released atlas is an ambitious in-depth presentation of 15,000 years of natural, cultural, and spiritual history of the Coast Salish people--from the last great glaciation to the 21st century. Along with the text is an abundance of graphics: historic maps, original cartographic representations, photographs, and artwork. The diversity of the contributors is reflected in the wide range of topics and the descriptive, interpretive, and theoretical approaches; and much of the new analysis presented is attributable to cooperative efforts of native and non-native investigators. An exhaustive compilation of Halq'emeylem place names, with accompanying explanatory text and translations is included. [From Website]

Contents: Key to the Stó:lō writing system for Halq'emeylem • Introduction to the Stó:lō • Early Encounters • Facing Government Coersion • Venturing into the Xwelitem • Whose Land and Resources • Stó:lō Oral Narratives [From Website]

Scholarship on Aboriginal governance in Canada has tended to focus on individual communities and formal political processes to the exclusion of informal regional social networks. The author’s own earlier research was itself compromised by a myopia that failed to adequately situate the Stó:lõ Coast Salish community of Shxw’õwhámél within its broader regional context. This article revisits the Shxw’õwhámél community’s experiment in decolonizing its governance system a decade after the community replaced the Indian Act election and governance processes with a system modelled after its historical system of extended family government. Drawing on current interviews to identify both the strengths and shortcomings of the newly rejuvenated system, the author provides historical analysis of early colonial efforts to manipulate the pre-contact governing system to reveal the extent to which Canadian colonialism has not only worked to atomize familial networks, but also to undermine democracy in the process. The author concludes that indigenous political authority continues to be compromised by the colonial experience and points out that the legacy of 150 years of assimilationist policies has sometimes made it difficult for Aboriginal people themselves to separate the effects of colonialism from its causes as they struggle to re-assert self-governance. [From Author]

In May1895 a provocative article relating to the Indigenous use of Western-style literacy appeared in the pages of the "Kamloops Wawa" , a small monthly newspaper in Chinook Jargon shorthand edited and published by a Catholic priest in the interior of Canada’s Pacific province. The priest, Father Jean-Marie Le Jeune, had learned of a young Salish couple who had been caught composing “sinful” letters to one another. In the priest’s eyes, this was an inappropriate use of literacy. But what bothered him even more was that the chief of the village where the young couple lived seemed to have associated their sin with literacy itself. Rather than punishing the young writers for the lustful content of their letters, as the priest would have preferred, the chief is recorded as having decided that literacy itself shared responsibility for the licentious behavior. According to Le Jeune, upon learning of the salacious letters, “the chief not only became angry with the couple, but also angry with the written word,” and gathered up all of the writings in the village, including back issues of the "Kamloops Wawa", and burned them. [From Author]

As Arthur Ray’s experience and research show, Native rights litigation is a theatre in which identity and affiliation tend to be drawn in stark, often binary, terms: plaintiffs and defendants, Indians and whites, supporters and opponents. The adversarial judicial process itself reinforces and accentuates these distinctions. Experts who testify on behalf of Native communities seldom testify for the Crown, and visa versa. Throughout the litigation process the affiliations and identities of Aboriginal people are generally easy to determine. In most instances, they are the ones sitting across the room from the Crown’s council. Likewise, they are also the ones who tend to be identified as opponents of modernity – as agents of praxis against progress, of stasis against innovation. Occasionally, though, colonialism creates a context within which indigenous interests clash with one another, and within which both sides invoke history to justify innovative means to traditional ends. [From Author]

The Indigenous communities of the Lower Fraser River, British Columbia (a group commonly called the Stó:lõ), have historical memories and senses of identity deriving from events, cultural practices, and kinship bonds that had been continuously adapting long before a non-Native visited the area directly. In The Power of Place, the Problem of Time, Keith Thor Carlson re-thinks the history of Native-newcomer relations from the unique perspective of a classically trained historian who has spent nearly two decades living, working, and talking with the Stó:lõ peoples. Stó:lõ actions and reactions during colonialism were rooted in their pre-colonial experiences and customs, which coloured their responses to events such as smallpox outbreaks or the gold rush. Profiling tensions of gender and class within the community, Carlson emphasizes the elasticity of collective identity. A rich and complex history, The Power of Place, the Problem of Time looks to both the internal and the external factors which shaped a society during a time of great change and its implications extend far beyond the study region. [From Publisher]

Katherine a young Stó:lo girl explores her Aboriginal heritage through the teachings of her elders and family. Katherine discovers the meaning of cultural traditions and learns the importance of her people’s past. [From Author]

Towards a New Ethnohistory engages respectfully in cross-cultural dialogue and interdisciplinary methods to co-create with Indigenous people a new, decolonized ethnohistory. This New Ethnohistory reflects Indigenous ways of knowing and is a direct response to critiques of scholars who have for too long foisted their own research agendas onto Indigenous communities. Community-engaged scholarship invites members of the Indigenous community themselves to identify the research questions, host the researchers while they conduct the research, and participate meaningfully in the analysis of the researchers' findings. The historical research topics chosen by the Stó:lo community leaders and knowledge keepers for the contributors to this collection range from the intimate and personal, to the broad and collective. But what principally distinguishes the analyses is the way settler colonialism is positioned as something that unfolds in sometimes unexpected ways within Stó:lo history, as opposed to the other way around. This collection presents the best work to come out of the world's only graduate-level humanities-based ethnohistory fieldschool. The blending of methodologies and approaches from the humanities and social sciences is a model of twenty-first century interdisciplinarity. [From Publisher]

Canadians are increasingly aware of the tragic story of Indian residential schools; and the contemporary tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls shows the ongoing vulnerability of Indigenous youth. But the story of Stó:lō First Nation "boys who were stolen away by… vicious white men" during the 1858 gold rush along British Columbia's Fraser River has been lost. These boys were kidnapped by American miners and taken to California. The vast majority "were never heard from" again, although at least two miraculously found their way home forty years later; and one ten-year-old boy lies buried in an unmarked grave in his kidnapper’s family plot in Sacramento’s pioneer cemetery. Families were devastated. One Stó:lō father "searched the woods for days… [and then] died of grief." [From Website]

Filmmaker Barb Cranmer, a member of the Namgis First Nation, explores the rich fishing traditions of the Sto:lo, Heiltsuk and 'Namgis peoples of Canada's west coast. With over fifteen years' experience fishing Johnstone Strait with her father, Cranmer presents rarely heard stories of traditional fishing practices and documents native people's efforts to build a sustainable fishery for the future. [From Publisher]

Keegan brought together Stó:lō and Coast Salish leaders to transform the health system from a sickness
model to a wellness model of care. In Keegan’s memory, the Fraser Salish Health Caucus leadership will work with the Board and Senior Executive Team of Fraser Health Authority to transform the care provided to all. In his memory, we will work together to ensure that all peoples from all places and all races will be provided the highest quality of care that is respectful of all cultures and beliefs. [From Author]

FirstVoices is a suite of web-based tools and services designed to support Indigenous people engaged in language archiving, language teaching and culture revitalization [From Website]

This study examines the phenomenon of what Halq'eméylem renewal means in the lives of the Stó:lō people today. Stó:lō elders emphasize that Stó:lō identity and worldview are embedded in our near-extinct Halq'eméylem language, which identifies us as a distinct Aboriginal people in Canada. To illuminate the elders' assertion, the author uses a heuristic approach to examine a) the historical demise and recent rise of our language using st'áxem (worthless people) and smelá:lh (worthy people) as a metaphorical theme reflected in our lived experience, b) how the term smestíyexw expresses a Stó:lō worldview of spiritual relationship with the land based on harmony and respect, and c) how Halq'eméylem binds the people and their Riverworldview into an indistinquishable whole. These aspects of Stó:lō history and language provide a context for the stories of what language renewal means to nine Halq'eméylem revivalists who have been associated with the Skulkayn, Coqualeetza and Shxwelí programs, spanning over thirty years of Halq'eméylem renewals efforts. [From Author]

In 2005, 19 First Nations in the Stó:lō Nation underwent internal re-organization; Chawathil, Cheam, Kwantlen, Kwaw-kwaw-Apilt, Scowlitz, Seabird Island, Shxw'ow'hamel and Soowahlie formed the Stó:lō Tribal Council. STC is negotiating land & resource agreements outside the B.C. treaty process. [From Website]

The relationship between intellectual property (IP) and the protection of Indigenous knowledge and cultural expressions is complex and challenging. The following is intended to provide an overview to stimulate and inform broader policy discussions in Canada. [From Website]

Dr. Wenona Hall is an Associate Professor in Indigenous Studies at the University of the Fraser Valley. She holds a Ph.D. in Indigenous Governance from Simon Fraser University. She talks about using stories from the Sto:lo as a way to learn about our environment. [From Website]

Qw'emqw'em li te Sq'ewqel. Growing up on Seabird. Part 1. Told by Ts'ats'elexwot (Elizabeth Herrling) [From YouTube]

As told by Chief Joe Capilano and recorded in "Legends of Vancouver: The Siwash Rock" This text is copied from canadianpoetry.ca. Click on view record in Zotero in order to download attachment.

This website is a space where I share wonderful teachings of our beautiful home S’olh Temexw: Our Earth/land. I hold up my hands in gratitude to those who have generously shared the importance of Indigenous identity throughout Turtle Island.
I believe qelmetset' my Ancestors are with me and I am now with good intention and a good heart.
Offering the caring teachings the best way that I can
kw'as hó:y, thanks. [From Website]

Listen to Lumlamelut, Laura Wee Lay Laq pronounce the Halq'eméylem words in our current exhibition "Semá:th Xo:tsa". [From YouTube]

As the government of the Leq’á:mel we are committed to working together to implement the strategic vision of the people by allocating resources, engaging members, and setting annual goals. We will make policy and decisions consistent with the strategic plan and Leq’á:mel culture and values. We will be transparent and accountable for our actions.

Leq’á:mel First Nation (LFN), formerly known as Lakahahmen First Nation, is located 22 kilometres east of Mission. LFN is a signatory to the Sto:lo Nation with approximately 420 members, and is governed by Chief and Council through Custom Election Code. [From Website]

I had the pleasure of participating in the Ethnohistory Field School during the Spring of 2009. Initially, the Stó:lō Nation invited me to do a project on their
ethnobotanical garden and make some recommendations for landscaping around a newly constructed care center for Stó:lō elders. While I began research related to those initiatives, I couldn’t keep myself away from the archives, which contain a plethora of dusty interview transcripts rich in ethnobotanical knowledge. I also had the opportunity to conduct interviews with three Stó:lō elders. These interviews were full of so many discoveries that I was obliged to include in this paper a few rich ethnobotanical accounts that are not directly related to the ethnobotany garden. Therefore, I have adjusted the topic of my paper slightly to accommodate them. [From Author]

This chapter focuses on one particular Indigenous community, the Stolo Coast Salish of the lower Fraser River watershed in western Canada. Indigenous people together with allied scholars have in recent decades produced remarkable collaborations aimed at alerting settler society to the significance of Indigenous peoples’ historical presence and ongoing special relationships with the lands and waters of their ancestors. Indigenous people have profoundly local, deeply historical ways of remembering, interpreting, and understanding the creation of the places they call home. In Indigenous societies, time sometimes bends spaces in ways that settlers struggle to perceive, let alone appreciate. Settler colonialism has the power to eclipse Indigenous memoryscapes by challenging and contesting Stolo ways of knowing as well as by alienating lands from Stolo people through the seemingly never-ending expansion of simple title holdings and government regulation. [From Publisher]

In late February 1884, a lynch mob of 100 American men crossed the border into British Columbia, forcibly removed a 14-year-old Native boy from the custody of a Canadian constable, rode south a few miles and hanged him from a cedar tree. For the Stó:lo First Nation, a people living along British Columbia's Fraser River, this tragedy is a defining moment in their history. In this film, they come together to tell the tale of the only documented case of a cross-border lynching in Canadian history. [From Publisher]

There has been, to date, no single volume that reflects the array of new topics, new interpretations, and new approaches to the Coast Salish, just as there had been no similar collaborative volume for the Northwest Coast since that edited by Tom McFeat (1966) and prior to the publication of Mauzé, Harkin, and Kan’s (2004) Coming to Shore. Nor has there been an adequate reflection on how the legacy of early ethnographic studies influences our current scholarly understandings of the Coast Salish. These studies date back to the mid-nineteenth-century work of Horatio Hale (1846), the youthful ethnographer with the US Exploring Expedition of 1838-42; George Gibbs (1877), ethnographer with the US boundary expedition and other government projects; the work of the eccentric and eclectic George Swan (1857); and the work of the “father of American anthropology,” Franz Boas (1889); and others. It is equally important to consider the viewpoints of Aboriginal peoples themselves and how Aboriginal peoples have influenced scholarly perspectives. With this in mind, I have pulled together work by contemporary scholars who can comment on a variety of substantive issues, particularly the state of research, and whose work Bruce Granville Miller reflects both the influences of the Suttles generation of scholars and new ideas. Some of the contributors are now long established scholars and others are of a newer generation. [From Author]

In this conversation Aaron and Kieth discuss colonization, Indian Residential Schools and religious beliefs impact on Indigenous people in Canada.

Professor Carlson’s scholarship is designed and conducted in partnership with communities and aspires to answer questions that are of relevance to those communities. His interests include: Indigenous history, Indigenous historical consciousness, and the history of settler colonialism — especially in western Canada and north western USA. The approach he takes is to invert the classic scholarly gaze and to forefront the perspective of Indigenous partners. “So what intrigues me most is not the history of Indigenous people in Canadian or American history, but the history of Canadian and American society within Indigenous histories,” offers Carlson. His focus is on the history of the Coast Salish of British Columbia and Washington and has worked extensively with Hukbalahap veterans in the Philippines. [From YouTube]

Join Aaron Pete as he sits down with Elder Eddie Gardner, also known as "T’it’elem Spath," to explore Indigenous culture, tradition, reconciliation and the Halq'eméylem language.

As a respected Indigenous Elder from the Skwah First Nation and an elder-in-residence with the University of the Fraser Valley, Mr. Gardner shares his knowledge and teachings with students and faculty. In this episode, he highlights the beauty of the Halq'eméylem language by breaking down a few words for the listeners, while also discussing opportunities for reconciliation with Indigenous people. As a knowledge keeper and protector of his Indigenous language, Mr. Gardner works with other Indigenous leaders to revitalize the language and ensure its practice. In addition to his advocacy work, he is committed to preserving and continuing the practice of Sweat Lodge ceremonies in the Fraser Valley. Tune in to learn from Mr. Gardner's insights on Indigenous culture and his tireless efforts to promote reconciliation and healing. [From YouTube]

Sonny McHalsie, also known as Naxaxalhts'i is a father, grandfather, historical researcher, cultural researcher, author, editor, tour guide, educator and member of Shxw’ow’hamel First Nation.

Sonny was an editor of Towards a New Ethnohistory: Community-Engaged Scholarship among the People of the River. He was a co-author of the book Towards a New Ethnohistory: Community Engaged Scholarship among the People of the River. I Am Stó:lō: Katherine Explores Her Heritage (1997) – focusing on his family and his daughter. He contributed to and served on the editorial board of the award-winning publication A Stó:lō Coast Salish Historical Atlas (2001). He was also the author of We Have To Take Care OF Everything That Belongs To Us in Bruce Miller’s Be OF Good Mind (2007). He also wrote the foreword in Keith Thor Carlson’s The Power Of Place, The Problem Of Time (2010).

Sonny McHalsie has expertise in Halq’eméylem Place Names, Fishing, and Stó:lō Oral History. He has been featured in documentaries for Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), CBC & Omni. In this conversation, Aaron and Sonny discuss Indigenous stories, values, traditions, language and so much more. [From YouTube]

Dave Schaepe and Aaron Pete discuss Sto:lo history, archaeology, land acknowledgements and what reconciliation really means.

Dr. David Schaepe is the Director & Senior Archaeologist of the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre at Stó:lō Nation. He has worked for over 15 years as a community-based researcher addressing issues of aboriginal rights and title, heritage management policy and practice, repatriation, land use planning, archaeological research, and education and outreach. He earned his PhD in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia in 2009. In addition to working at Stó:lō Nation, he is an adjunct professor in Simon Fraser University’s School of Resource and Environmental Management, and an instructor of Indigenous Studies at the University of the Fraser Valley. His research interests are multi-disciplinary in nature and include household archaeology, oral history, Stó:lō-Coast Salish settlement patterning and community organization, cultural landscape management, and issues of aboriginal rights and title. Dr. Schaepe has over 25 years of experience in archaeology/anthropology, and cultural heritage research and resource management. [From YouTube]

Xwelíqwiya is the life story of Rena Point Bolton, a Stó:lō matriarch, artist, and craftswoman. Proceeding by way of conversational vignettes, the beginning chapters recount Point Bolton’s early years on the banks of the Fraser River during the Depression. While at the time the Stó:lō, or Xwélmexw, as they call themselves today, kept secret their ways of life to avoid persecution by the Canadian government, Point Bolton’s mother and grandmother schooled her in the skills needed for living from what the land provides, as well as in the craftwork and songs of her people, passing on a duty to keep these practices alive. Point Bolton was taken to a residential school for the next several years and would go on to marry and raise ten children, but her childhood training ultimately set the stage for her roles as a teacher and activist. Recognizing the urgent need to forge a sense of cultural continuity among the younger members of her community, Point Bolton visited many communities and worked with federal, provincial, and First Nations politicians to help break the intercultural silence by reviving knowledge of and interest in Aboriginal art. She did so with the deft and heartfelt use of both her voice and her hands. [From Website]

Treaties follow a six stage process in collaboration with the British Columbia Treaty Commission. The Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation leads the province's participation in Final Agreement and Agreement-in-Principle. [From Website]

The traditional territory of the Ts'elxwéyeqw First Nation covers over 95,000 hectares of land in Southwestern BC. It extends throughout the central Fraser Valley, encompassing the entire Chilliwack River Valley (including Chilliwack Lake, Chilliwack River, Cultus Lake and areas, and parts of the Chilliwack municipal areas). In addition to being an area of natural beauty and abundant resources, it also has a rich cultural history. The Chilliwack region gets its name from the Ts’elxwéyeqw tribe, and this volume delves into what this name means—and also what it means to be Ts’elxwéyeqw. Being Ts’elxwéyeqw portrays the people, artifacts and landscapes that are central to the Ts’elxwéyeqw people, and represents a rich oral record of an aboriginal heritage that has been kept alive—even through adversity—for thousands of years. [From Publisher]

One aspect of the experience that we’ve had over the years is inter-national repatriation, working across borders and having to deal with Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which was very problematic. That US legislation set up some major hurdles that we had to figure out how to navigate. The repatriation of Stone T’xwelátse took from 1991 until 2006; it took fifteen years to accomplish and a good chunk of that time was our efforts to work with people who weren’t in fact family members. It took persistence to continue to work with the Burke Museum to get to a point where people understood what we were talking about and open up to us and attach themselves to what we were doing. And through that process they effectively became family and remain so today, very closely connected to all the people involved in the repatriation of Stone T’xwelátse. [From Author]

This study integrates settlement and community archaeology in investigating pre-colonial Stó:lō-Coast Salish community organization between 2,550-100 years before present (cal B.P.). Archaeological housepits provide a basic unit of analysis and proxy for households through which community organization manifests in relationships of form and arrangement among housepit settlements in the lower Fraser River Watershed of southwestern British Columbia. This study focuses on spatial and temporal data from 11 housepit settlements (114 housepits) in the upriver portion of the broader study area (mainland Gulf of Georgia Region). These settlements were mapped and tested as part of the Fraser Valley Archaeology Project (2003-2006). The findings of this study suggest a trajectory of continuity and change in community organization among the Stó:lō-Coast Salish over the 2,500 years preceding European colonization. Shifts between heterarchical and hierarchical forms of social organization, and corporate to network modes of relations represent societal transformations that become expressed by about 550 cal B.P. Transformations of social structure and community organization are manifest as increasing variation in housepit sizes and settlement patterns, and the development of central arrangements in both intra- and inter-settlement patterns. In the Late Period (ca. 550-100 cal. B.P.), the largest and most complex settlements in the region, including the largest housepits, develop on islands and at central places or hubs in the region’s communication system along the Fraser River. These complex sets of household relations within and between settlements represent an expansive form of community organization. Tracing this progression provides insight into the process of change among Stó:lō pithouse communities. Societal change develops as a shift expressed first at a broad-based collective level between settlements, and then at a more discreet individual level between households. This process speaks to the development of communities formed within a complex political-economic system widely practiced throughout the region. This pattern survived the smallpox epidemic of the late 18th century and was maintained by the Stó:lō up to the Colonial Era. Administration of British assimilation policies (e.g., Indian Legislation) instituted after 1858 effectively disrupted but failed to completely replace deeply rooted expressions of Stó:lō community that developed during preceding millennia. [From Author]

Shxwhá:y Village is a home that unites us all and it is our responsibility to protect our land and traditions while ensuring a prosperous future for our members. [From Website]

We, the Skawahlook First Nation, strive to achieve a healthy, proud and prosperous community for future generations and for ourselves. We will achieve the goal of building a self-sufficient community with the energy of our Council, the guidance of our community members, and the support of external partner organizations. [From Website]

This section presents a timeline of historical sqwélqwel focusing on specific people and events from just prior to and throughout the contact era. It is presented beside a world timeline of events for the same period. Sq’éwlets historical events that took place before this period are described in the sxwōxwiyám and Archaeology sections. [From Website]

A virtual exhibit about the Sq’éwlets First Nation introducing main concepts in Halq’eméylem including sxwōxwiyám and sqwélqwel and the importance of the sturgeon to their heritage. [From Website]

As of today, Squiala First Nation has over 200 members. All members can be traced to Sam and Theresa Jimmie. Sam and Theresa were the founders of Squiala First Nation. Together, they had 7 sons and Squiala membership is made up of the descendants from the seven brothers. [From Website]

A collation of the Census profile that focuses on the Stó:lō

The Stó:lō Business Association is membership based organization, driven by Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs, and is the voice for Indigenous businesses in the Stó:lō Territory.

The Stó:lō Business Association will promote Indigenous business growth, and advocates and supports Indigenous businesses through networking, communications, Member Benefits, educational programs and resources. [From Website]

Stó:lō Community Futures offers business counseling, and business loans for small to medium-sized Indigenous businesses that are either just starting out, need to expand or are maintaining their business. SCF works collaboratively with the 24 Stó:lō communities within S'ólh Téméxw, the Stó:lō Traditional Territory, on initiatives to improve community business and economic development.

Our Business Services include Business Loan Programs, Business Support Services, Training and Workshops, and After-Care. [From Website]

A YouTube channel for the Stó:lō. Halq'emeylem videos and more. 13 different videos.

In the summer of 2010 we asked Sto:lo Nation community members to tell us what their vision of a healthy community looked like, sounded like and felt like. This is what they told us. [From YouTube]

The Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre is a group of highly experienced professionals with many years experience working within the Stó:lō community. We provide professional service with an understanding of, and respect for, Stó:lō protocols.
We maintain strong research ties to local universities and consulting firms. We offer high quality services that are both culturally and scientifically sound. [From Website]

A detailed map of the Stó:lō peoples. Click on view in Zotero to download attachment.

T'xwelátse is a man. He was turned to stone but he is still alive. He connects us to time immemorial. He is at the heart of the exhibition Man Turned to Stone: T'xwelátse as it was produced at The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford in April 2011. The exhibition told the story of Stone T'xwelátse. It described how he was transformed to become a part of the Stó:lō cultural landscape and explored the history of colonization that led to his being lost for more than one hundred years. It also documented the cultural revival and complex process of repatriation that brought him home again. Of course, the exhibition had to be taken down at the end of its run. Like the exhibition, this book tells the story of Stone T'xwelátse. [From Website]

The Stó:lō Nation is the political amalgamation of eleven Stó:lō communities. The Stó:lō Service Agency (SSA) is the service delivery arm of Stó:lō Nation. SSA provides services to the Stó:lō and Aboriginal communities throughout S'olh Temexw.

S'olh Temexw is the traditional territory of the Stó:lō people. According to our swxoxwiyam, we have lived here since time immemorial. The Stó:lō traditional territory extends from Yale to Langley, BC. [From Website]

In these videos you will see why guardianship of these lands is important to protect for our future generations. [From YouTube]

In these videos you will see why guardianship of these lands is important to protect for our future generations. [From YouTube]

The Semá:th people were known as the fierce wolf people and were a part of the larger Stό:lō Nation. Railway crossing at Sumas Lake Semá:th lake and waterways formed an integral part of our community and our traditional way of life. The Traditional names for our water ways are: Stόtelō or Sumas River, translating to “little Creek”, SeÍ:tslehōq’ or Marshall Lonzo Creek, translating to “Sand Drifting;” and Q’élem or Saar Creek, translating to “came” or “rest”. [From Website]

The Ts’elxwéyeqw vision is based upon establishing their Aboriginal Rights and Title within the Ts’elxwéyeqw Traditional Territory. All initiatives are undertaken to advance the well-being of the Ts’elxwéyeqw members and are anchored in Ts’elxwéyeqw historical, cultural and traditional First Nations values. [From Website]

Tzeachten First Nation remains the keepers of our traditional territories, this responsibility being passed on to us by our ancestors and exercised through sound cultural, environmental, and socio-economic stewardship. In the Halq’emeylem language Tzeachten (Ch’iyaqtel) means ‘the place of the fish weir’. [From Website]

Acknowledging a First Nation traditional territory and/or Welcoming the audience to a traditional territory at the start of meetings, programs, gatherings, lecture series, and other similar events is practiced at many post-secondary institutions in British Columbia, in Canada and abroad. [From Author]

UFV’s coat of arms features symbols of Stó:lō culture, local wildlife, and elements of the Fraser Valley landscape.

Officially granted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority under the authority of the Governor General of Canada, a coat of arms is a form of personal or corporate identification, like a logo or wordmark, but it is designed to be timeless and symbolic. [From Website]

We have been in the treaty process for over 20 years and our work has led to groundbreaking changes in the way modern treaties are moving forward. There will be no extinguishment of our Aboriginal Rights and Title, the agreement will be adaptable and renewable over time and we will no longer have to take out or repay loans as we negotiate. In November 2020, the SXTA leadership asked community members to vote on the Stó:lō Xwexwílmexw Shxwelméxwelh, our Constitution, which provides the guidelines for our own way of governing our nation. In this season, we took the pulse of our people as we moved toward that milestone. [From Website]

In this season we are celebrating our s’í:wes or teachings. The ancient beliefs of Stó:lō people are layered throughout the land and language. This season, we will explore a set of Halq’eméylem principles that Naxaxalhts’i Sonny McHalsie has written down. Through his work recording oral history and language with Elders over the last several decades, he’s identified key phrases that have been repeated time and time again. These principles could be considered the guiding laws for our Stó:lō Way of Life. We’ll talk to Elders, youth and community members. We’ll even delve into the oral archives to hear from our honoured knowledge keepers about our history and our future. [From Website]

In this season we will be talking with the people who work hard for our six communities and who are united in the desire to exercise our inherent right to govern our lands and territory. In the last year, we took off the mantle of the Stó:lō Xwexwílmexw Treaty Association and are now called the Stó:lō Xwexwílmexw Government. Meet some of the leaders, youth, business people, staff and more as we come together on this journey. [From Website]

Welcome to the Stó:lō Shxwelí Halq'eméylem Language Program website. You can find stories for learning Halq'eméylem, language lessons, a talking dictionary and many other resources created by the Stó:lō Shxwelí Halq'eméylem Language program, Elders, participants of S'íwes ye Syewalelh S'qép, and the Halq'eméylem community language teachers. [From Website]