The Stó꞉lō (), alternately written as Sto꞉lo, Stó꞉lô, or Stó꞉lõ, historically as Staulo, Stalo or Stahlo, and historically known and commonly referred to in ethnographic literature as the Fraser River Indians or Lower Fraser Salish, are a group of First Nations peoples inhabiting the Fraser Valley and lower Fraser Canyon of British Columbia, Canada, part of the loose grouping of Coast Salish nations. Stó꞉lō is the Halqemeylem word for "river", so the Stó꞉lō are the river people. The first documented reference to these people as "the Stó꞉lō" occurs in Catholic Oblate missionary records from the 1880s. Prior to this, references were primarily to individual tribal groups such as Matsqui, Ts’elxweyeqw, or Sumas.

Origins

The first traces of people living in the Fraser Valley date from 4,000 to 10,000 years ago. The Stó꞉lō called this area, their traditional territory, S'ólh Téméxw. The early inhabitants of the area were highly mobile hunter-gatherers. There is archeological evidence of a settlement in the lower Fraser Canyon (called "the Milliken site" after historian August 'Gus' Milliken) and a seasonal encampment ("the Glenrose Cannery site") near the mouth of the Fraser River. Remains of this latter campsite show that in spring and early summer, the people came here to hunt land and sea mammals, such as deer, elk, and seals and, to a lesser extent, to fish for salmon, stickleback, eulachon, and sturgeon and to gather shellfish. Their lives depended on their success at harvesting the resources of the land and the rivers through fishing, foraging, and hunting.

Contemporary Stó꞉lō elders describe their connection to the land in the statement "we have always been here." They tell of their arrival in S'ólh Téméxw as either Tel Swayel ("sky-born" people) or as Tel Temexw ("earth-born" people) and through the subsequent transformations of ancestral animals and fish such as the beaver, mountain goat, and sturgeon. Xexá:ls (transformers) fixed the world ("made it right") and the people and animals in it, creating the present landscape. As Carlson notes:

<blockquote>The Stó꞉lō walk simultaneously through both spiritual and physical realms of this landscape, connected to the Creator through the land itself, as transformed by Xexá:ls. It is estimated that the epidemic killed two thirds of the Stó꞉lō population, approximately 61%, within six weeks. The school had approximately 2000 children in attendance with most of them Stó꞉lō. a girls section was added in 1868, but was split off and operated by the Sisters of St. Ann. there are fewer than five fluent speakers of Halq'eméylem. Of these, the speakers who have achieved fluency are of dotage. Because of this, several speakers have been lost in each successive year. In turn, the language is facing the threat of extinction.

Salmon

thumb|Stó꞉lō people fishing on the [[Fraser River with dipnets]]

Coast Salish towns and villages were located along the waterways in watersheds, both for access to water for cooking and drinking, and for salmon fishing. Its importance in their culture was reflected in ceremonies dedicated to it. The various tribes, sometimes named by Europeans for the river they were located near, fished on the Fraser River and its tributaries, including the Chilliwack and the Harrison. Important parts of the community life of the people were related to the life cycle of the salmon. Ceremonies such as the First Salmon ceremony, performed when the first fish was caught each year, reflected its importance in Stó꞉lō culture.

The First Salmon Ceremony was held when the first salmon were brought back from the river. It was then shared with either the entire community or more privately in a family setting. After the salmon meat was eaten the bones of the fish were then returned to the river. This was to show respect to the salmon people. If the ceremony was not performed and the fish not shared it was said that the fisher would experience bad luck for the rest of the year and the salmon run may not be as strong.

Salmon was the preferred food of the Stó꞉lō and was seen as superior to other types of meat. part of the Tiyt (Tait) tribe or Upper Stó:lō tribe.)

  • Katzie First Nation (Katzie Nation, q̓ic̓əy̓/Q'éyts'iy village people.)
  • Sts'ailes Nation (Chehalis First Nation or Stsailes First Nation, Sts'ailes/Sts'a'íles people.)
  • Yale First Nation (Yale Indian Band, had close family ties to Lower Nlaka'pamux (Nłeʔkepmxc) bands and therefore speak also the "Puchil (Yale) dialect" of Nlaka'pamuctsin (Nłeʔkepmxcin), part of the Tiyt (Tait) tribe or Upper Stó:lō tribe.)

BC treaty negotiations

The Stó꞉lō Declaration included twenty-four First Nations when it was signed in 1977. Twenty-one of these nations entered the BC Treaty Process as the Sto꞉lo Nation Chiefs Council in August 1995. Four First Nations withdrew from the treaty process, leaving seventeen to reach Stage Four of the six-stage process.

In 2005, an internal reorganization of the nineteen Stó꞉lō First Nations divided them into two tribal councils. Eleven of these First Nations &mdash; Aitchelitz, Leq'a:mel, Matsqui, Popkum, Shxwhá:y Village, Skawahlook, Skowkale, Squiala, Sumas, Tzeachten, and Yakweakwioose &mdash; chose to remain in the Stó꞉lō Nation.

Eight others formed the Stó꞉lō Tribal Council. The eight members &mdash; Chawathil, Cheam, Kwantlen First Nation, Kwaw-kwaw-Apilt, Scowlitz, Seabird Island, Shxw'ow'hamel First Nation, and Soowahlie &mdash; are not participating in the treaty process.

See also

  • Brent Galloway
  • Steven Point
  • Louie Sam

Citations

General and cited references

  • Wells, Oliver N. (1987). The Chilliwacks and Their Neighbors. Edited by Ralph Maud, Brent Galloway and Marie Wheeden. Vancouver: Talonbooks.
  • Sto꞉lo Tribal Council website
  • Stó꞉lō Nation website
  • Map of Sto꞉lo territory
  • Stó:lo Traditional Territory Map as identified for the 1995 BC Treaty Commission
  • Xá:ytem / Hatzic Rock National Historic Site of Canada
  • Xá:ytem Longhouse Interpretive Centre
  • T'xwelatse Comes Home, Seattle Times article, January 28, 2007.
  • Ethnographic Overview of Stó:lo People and the Traditional use of the Hudson's Bay Company Brigade Trail Area, by Brian Thom.
  • Stó:lo Culture – Ideas of Prehistory and Changing Cultural Relationships to the Land and Environment, by Brian Thom