S’ólh téméxw te íkw’elò. Xólhmet te mekw’stám ít kwelát.
This is our land. We have to take care of everything that belongs to us.
We Believe in Stó:lō – together we will engage in all things related to our journey towards Self Government. The Stó:lō Signal Podcast is the audio component to the Stó:lō Xwexwilmexw Treaty Association’s independent newsletter by the same name.
Guest: Stacy McNeil, Executive Director of Sq’ewqéyl
This is a clean slate. We’re starting over. Let’s see what we can do. Stacy McNeil was given these words of encouragement when she started her job as manager of Sq’ewqéyl, one of several small Stó:lō communities surrounded by the City of Chilliwack. She knew she could get things done, but she also knew from her upbringing in the community of Seabird Island across the Fraser River, that listening to the community voices is essential to moving forward. Listen in as she shares stories about her efforts to help not only Sq’ewqéyl, but also Áthelets and Yeqwyeqwí:ws’s dreams come true.
When Stó:lō Elder Elizabeth Herrling told Sonny McHalsie that knowledge is only important when you share – that you could be the smartest person in the world and know everything, but if you don’t share it, it’s meaningless – it set him on a path to become the Nation’s historian.
In this eighth episode, listen in as Naxaxalhts’i shares stories about his work recording Elders, learning history and why he thinks that all Stó:lō need to hear what he has learned.
The Halq’eméylem language is spoken from Five Mile Creek near Yale to the mouth of the Fraser River. Christine Seymour of Sq’ewqéyl did not plan to become a language teacher when she went to university, but that’s how her career has worked out. With only one fluent speaker of the Upriver dialect left, we must Tset hikwstexw te sqwelteltsetwe “Hold our language high.” In this episode, Christine tells her story to The Fraser Valley Current’s Grace Kennedy.
How do youth stay on a good path when there is so much going on in the world and in their personal lives? In this episode, we talk to rising football star, Tyson George Kelly, and to the Stó:lō Xwexwílmexw youth coordinator Jen Archie about an important Stó:lō principle Thehítchexw ta’ sqwálewel “Keep your mind on what you’re doing.”
In the old way, the Elders give someone a name because they recognize the child’s ancestors or their spirit. But even though someone receives a name, they still have to earn it. In this episode, we talk to the members of one Ch’iyáqtel/Tzeachten family about their ancestral names and how they received them. Xaxa stexw te selsila:lh te skwixw. Respect your ancestors’ name is still such an important Stó:lō principle.
Stó:lō people have two important types of stories. Sxwōxwiyá:m — our creation stories, or stories of our distant past and Sqwélqwel or true news, which are stories passed down between generations. In this fourth episode of the season we explore storytelling and the oral tradition and why it is important to our people. We welcome gifted storyteller Shóyshqwelwhet Gwen Point as she talks to us about Xepa:y, her grandmother and so much more.
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.
In this third episode of the season we explore: Xólhmet te mekw’ stam s’i:wes te selsila:lh chet. “Take care of everything our great grandparents taught (showed) us.” This teaching reminds us of our responsibilities to seven generations past and seven generations forward. It also reminds us of the important Stó:lō concept of sqwélqwel. Listen to the episode to learn more and download the podcast notes.
Stó:lō Signal Season 2
SO2E03 Xólhmet te mekw' stam s'i:wes te selsila:lh chet. "Take care of everything our great grandparents taught (showed) us."
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.
In this second episode of the season we explore: Shxw’eywelh mestiyexw “A generous person.” This teaching recalls not only the story of xepá:y, a generous man who was transformed into a cedar tree, but the idea that knowledge is only important when you share it. Thank you to our guests for their generosity.
Guests: Iyoxweliya Val Joe and Naxaxalhts’i Sonny McHalsie
In this first episode of the season we explore: S’ólh Téméxw te íkw’elò. Xólhmet te mekw stám ít kwelát. This is our Land. We have to take care of everything that belongs to us.
Episode 1 – S’ólh Téméxw te íkw’elò: This is our Land
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. In this first episode of the season we explore: S’ólh Téméxw te íkw’elò. Xólhmet te mekw stám ít kwelát. This is our Land. We have to take care of everything that belongs to us.
