Brief Stó:lō History

Since the beginning of time Stó:lō people have occupied and cared for Sólh Téméxw.

"Stó:lō" is the Halq’eméylem word for "river" and also for the people who live along the lower Fraser River and its adjoining watersheds.  We the Stó:lō , continue our culturally strong and collective community.  Our people continue to move freely amongst the villages according to where our extended family members live. 

When the Creator, Chíchel Siyá:m put us here the world was chaotic.  So, Xexá:ls the Transformers came to make the world right.  Xexá:ls transformed the world into its permanent form.  Some of our ancestors were transformed into animals, rocks, trees and other resources.  Our relationships to these resources are recognized as family ties that form the basis of our internal "tribal" divisions. 

The diversity of resources found in our territory allowed our ancestors to move about seasonally to use the full richness of the land.  The wealth of our territory was not free.  As in the past families continue to own specific tracts of property and resource rights.  These range from the Fraser Canyon fishing and wind-drying sites to valley cranberry sites and wild potato sites to mountain berry patches and ocean clam beds. 

To increase access to a family owned resource marriage alliances were made between families.  Today, the overlapping blood ties continue for these same purposes.  Stó:lō people and all Stó:lō resources are bound together in a web of family connections.

In 1827, the Hudson’s Bay Company was established in Fort Langley and was the first permanent settlement in the lower mainland.  In the summer of 1858 more than 30,000 American miners arrived in Stó:lō territory in hopes of striking it rich panning for gold.  In November of 1858 the British government claimed the BC mainland as a Crown colony and James Douglas was named governor.  Governor James Douglas was assigned the task of negotiating treaties and surveying lands to be set aside for each First Nation of BC; very few were completed.  Joseph Trutch, Commissioner of Lands and Works questioned the lands set aside for treaties and reduced them by 91 percent without consent.

By comparison, in 1899 Canada extended Treaty #8 to cover approximately 27% of northeastern British Columbia.  The treaty allotment of Indian reserve lands there allowed 640 acres per family compared to 10 acres per family which was imposed in southern British Columbia.  In written petitions and oral protests, our ancestors demanded that the government create reserves that would provide our people with a minimum of 80 acres per family of five.

In addition to land issues, in 1883 the federal government passed laws which banned the Potlatch and the right to sell fish caught in non-tidal waters (from the Mission train bridge and up).  In 1927, the Indian Act was again amended.  This time it was made an offence for Aboriginal people to retain legal counsel to advance land claims.  The prohibition on hiring lawyers, on potlatching and practicing our sacred ceremonies was maintained until 1951.

In 1938, British Columbia finally fulfilled a condition of Confederation by transferring the title of Indian reserves within this province from the provincial government to the federal government.  Between 1867 and 1961, the Stó:lō and all other Aboriginal people were treated as children (wards of the government).  We were not allowed to purchase alcohol or vote in federal elections.  We needed Department of Indian Affair's permission to change our residency.  Our children were taken from our homes and placed in residential schools denying entire generations the opportunity to be parented and to learn to parent.  Our language and culture were not permitted in the residential schools.  We were not allowed to vote in provincial elections until 1949.  We were allowed to vote in federal elections in 1961.

Compounding the threat to our existence posed by diseases and repressive legislation, we also faced concerted government efforts to reduce our numbers by re-defining our identity.  Prior to 1985, Stó:lō women who married non-Native men automatically lost their status as did their children and descendants.  In similar fashion, Stó:lō men and women who joined the Canadian Armed Forces often found themselves automatically enfranchised and no longer able to live among their families on Stó:lō reserves.

Even though we maintain our title to the land, currently, we have control over less than 1% of our traditional territory.  Each year approximately 30,000 non-Native immigrants come into our territory.  In peak immigration years, the number of newcomers was as high as 50,000.  The environment and natural resources such as fish, deer, moose, mountain goat, bear and other animals and birds have been profoundly impacted.  Yet, we know that the Creator put them here and that Xexá:Is made the world right for us in our territory.  We were given the responsibility to look after what belongs to us.

S’ólh téméxw te íkw’elò.  Xólhmet te mekw’stám ít kwelát.
This is our land.  We have to look after everything that belongs to us.