The Statimc (), also known as the Lillooet (), St̓át̓imc, or Stlatlimx (), are an
Interior Salish
The Interior Salish languages are one of the two main branches of the Salishan language family, the other being Coast Salish. It can be further divided into Northern and Southern subbranches. The first Interior Salish people encountered by Ameri ...
people located in the southern
Whale Mountains and
Fraser Canyon
The Fraser Canyon is a major landform of the Fraser River where it descends rapidly through narrow rock gorges in the Coast Mountains en route from the Interior Plateau of British Columbia to the Fraser Valley. Colloquially, the term "Fraser Ca ...
region of the
Interior of the
Canadian province
Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...
of
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
.
Statimc culture displayed many features typical of
Northwest Coast peoples: the
potlatch
A potlatch is a gift-giving feast practiced by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and the United States,Harkin, Michael E., 2001, Potlatch in Anthropology, International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Scienc ...
, clan names, mythology, prestige afforded the wealthy and generous, and
totem pole
Totem poles () are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually made from large t ...
s in some communities, especially in the
Lilwat First Nation (''Lilwat7ul''), whose tribal lands and trade routes in the
Whistler Valley and
Green River Valley overlapped with those of the
Squamish First Nation, a
Coast Salish people. Today they total about 6259.
Groups
The Statimc are divided linguistically, culturally and geographically into two main tribes or First Nations.
* The Upper Statimc (Upper Lillooet or Fraser River Lillooet), living near the present city of
Lillooet
Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road abo ...
on the
Fraser River
The Fraser River () is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain (Canada), Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of V ...
. They refer to themselves as ''STLA'tlei-mu-wh-talk'' and speak ''Statimcets'' dialect.
* The Lower Statimc (Lower Lillooet or Mount Currie Lillooet), living in the vicinity of today's
Mount Currie in the
Pemberton Valley and south to
Skookumchuk. They refer to themselves as ''LEEL'-wat-OOL'' – 'The true People', 'The true Lillooet' (of which were the words 'Lillooet' and 'Lilwat' derived) and speak ''UcwalmÃcwts'' dialect.
* The Lakes Lillooet (''Lexalexamux'' or ''Tsala'lhmec'' – 'Lake People'), a group only sporadically recognized, living between the territories of Upper Statimc and Lower Statimc around
Seton Lake
Seton Lake is a lake in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. On the northeast side is Mission Ridge. On the southwest is the Cayoosh Range. By road, the eastern end is about southwest of Lillooet.
Name origin
In 1827, ...
and
Anderson Lake – whose descendants are today's
N'quatqua First Nation (also known as ''Anderson Lake Indian Band'') and
Seton Lake First Nation
The Seton Lake First Nation, a.k.a. the Seton Lake Indian Band, is a First Nations government located in the Central Interior-Fraser Canyon region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is a member of the Lillooet Tribal Council
The L ...
(also known as ''Seton Lake Indian Band''), historically a group at the foot of Seton Lake, near Lillooet, known as the ''Skimka'imx'' were also included in this group.
Lower Statimc
*the
Lil'wat First Nation, their traditional territory extended south to
Rubble Creek
Rubble Creek is a creek in southwestern British Columbia, Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean an ...
in the
Cheakamus River drainage, near
Garibaldi townsite, north to just below
Anderson Lake, east to the Upper
Stein Valley and west to the
Toba Inlet of the Pacific Ocean, in total approximately 780,000 ha, the current community
Mount Currie (or ''Lilwatul'') is the heart of the Lil’wat Nation territory
*the
Xa'xtsa First Nation (also known as the
Douglas First Nation), Xa’xtsa (pronounce: ''ha-htsa'') is made up of two communities:
Port Douglas at the northern end of
Little Harrison Lake, about 90 km northeast of Vancouver, and their main community
Tipella, on the west side of the
Lillooet River
The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of W ...
, southernmost of the In-SHUCK-ch communities, and also of the entire St’atl’imx linguistic group ()
*the
Skatin First Nations (pron. ), at
Skookumchuck Hot Springs on the
Lillooet River
The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of W ...
, the community is located on the east side of the Lillooet River, on the 19-Mile Post of the old Harrison-Lillooet wagon road (about 35 kilometres from the head of Harrison Lake), before the arrival of European settlers, this community was considered to be the largest on the lower Lillooet River, comparable in size to the pre-contact village of present-day Mount Currie of the Lil'wat First Nation
*the
Samahquam First Nation () (‘warm place out of the cold’, pronounced: 'shah-MAH-kwum'), returned to their reservation lands in the early 1990s and constructed the Baptiste Smith community, at the southwest end of Little Lillooet Lake (aka ''Tenas Lake'', derived from the
Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon (' or ', also known simply as ''Chinook'' or ''Jargon'') is a language originating as a pidgin language, pidgin trade language in the Pacific Northwest. It spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to othe ...
''tenass'' – 'little') on the
Lillooet River
The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of W ...
system. They once occupied both sides of Little Lillooet Lake.
The tiny and remote communities of Samahquam, Xa'xtsa and Ska'tin Bands collectively, including the Tenas Lake Band, seceded from the larger Lillooet Tribal Council (now called the
Statimc Nation) at the same time to join the
N'quatqua First Nation at (
D'Arcy) to form the
In-SHUCK-ch Nation. Since the 1980s these First Nations called themselves ''Nsvq’tsmc'' ('In-SHUCK-ch micw'), derived from ''Nsvq’ts'' – 'split like a crutch', the name of the holy mountain, now called
In-SHUCK-ch Mountain (also called Gunsight Mountain).
Upper Statimc
The tribal territory of the different groups of the Upper Státimc extended west of the Fraser River from the mouth of the Pavilion Creek (′Sk'elpáqs′) to the Texas Creek in the mountains above the
Bridge River and westward through the valleys of Seton Lake and Anderson Lake to Duffey Lake. The territory of the Upper Státimc east of the Fraser River included the
Three Lake Valley (also known as ''Fountain Valley'') and the adjacent mountains and stretched towards the
Hat Creek, a tributary of the Bonaparte River.
The Upper Státimc settled in several main settlements on the banks above the Fraser River and on the banks of the Seton and Anderson Lake — probably the word 'Státimc' is derived from a former village ''Tatlh'' on Keatley Creek. Previous there were the following communities: ''Sk'ámqain'' on the shore of Seton Lake, ''Sat'' at the site of present-day city of Lillooet, ''NxwÃsten'' at the mouth of the Bridge River, ''Xáxlip'' (′Fountain′), ''Slha7äs'' and ''Tsal'álh'' along Seton Lake and ''Nk'wátkwa'' on the western shore of Lake Anderson. Beside those significant settlements there have been several smaller villages. In
Pavilion
In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings;
* It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...
(Tsk'wáylacw), a mainly ethnically and linguistically
Secwepemc settlement in the 19th century, since the beginning of the 20th century this community speaks usually
Statimcets, but their particular dialect is a hybrid of Statimcets and
Secwepemctsin, because there had been many mixed marriages between Secwepemc and Státimc, know forming the
Tsk'weylecw'mc or
Pavilion Indian Band.
*
N'quatqua in
D'Arcy. Also known as the Anderson Lake Band and one of the original members of the breakaway
In-SHUCK-ch Nation, although now on its own from that organization and from the Lillooet Tribal Council, despite close family ties to the various bands of that organization. Located at the head of
Anderson Lake, northeast of
Pemberton. Historically the N'Quatqua and Tsalalh bands were one group, the Lakes Lillooet or Lexalexamux, and included a group at the foot of Seton Lake, near Lillooet, known as the Skimka'imx.
*
Tsaľálh (
Shalalth), Skeil, Ohin, Lh7us (Slosh) and Nquayt (Nkiat). Lh7us and Nquayt are at
Seton Portage, Skeil, Ohin and Shalalth farther east along
Seton Lake. All of these are collectively self-governed within the Lillooet Tribal Council as the
Seton Lake First Nation
The Seton Lake First Nation, a.k.a. the Seton Lake Indian Band, is a First Nations government located in the Central Interior-Fraser Canyon region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is a member of the Lillooet Tribal Council
The L ...
.
*
Sekw'el'wás in
Lillooet
Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road abo ...
(Cayoose Creek/Pashilqua Reserves)
*
TÃtq'et in
Lillooet
Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road abo ...
, also spelled Tl'itl'kt (Lillooet Reserve)
*
NxwÃsten in
Lillooet
Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road abo ...
(
Bridge River Indian Band)
*
Cácl'ep near
Lillooet
Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road abo ...
(pron. and also spelled Xa'xlip)
Fountain Indian Band.
*
Tsk'weylecw (in an older spelling used in
Statimcets called ''Tsk'waylaxw'', also known as the
Pavilion Indian Band and located at
Pavilion
In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings;
* It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...
, which is between
Lillooet
Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road abo ...
and
Cache Creek on the lip of the
Fraser Canyon
The Fraser Canyon is a major landform of the Fraser River where it descends rapidly through narrow rock gorges in the Coast Mountains en route from the Interior Plateau of British Columbia to the Fraser Valley. Colloquially, the term "Fraser Ca ...
and at the outlet of the
karst landscape
Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
forming
Marble Canyon, beyond which are the territories of the Bonaparte Band of the
Secwepemc (Shuswap) peoples, who are part of the
Shuswap Nation Tribal Council.
History
They had several types of dwellings—long plank houses, winter earthlodges, and summer bark- or mat-covered lodges, not unlike those at the
Keatley Creek Archaeological Site. Salmon and other fish were the basis of the economy, and numerous animals (bear, sheep, caribou, deer, and small mammals) were hunted and trapped, and berries and fruit were gathered. Warfare with other groups was unusual, with intensive intertribal trade the more typical state of affairs. The Tsilhqot’in-St’at’imc war was one brutal war for the St’at’imc and threatened their survival as a nation. The Tsilhqot’in raided all 11 bands of the Statimc and took women and children as slaves. Both nations met at many roots (Graveyard Valley) in the St’at’imc territory at which the Statimc were victorious. Chief In-Kick-Tee (Hunter Jack) was the warchief in that battle and made a peace treaty in 1845.
Declaration of the Lillooet Tribe
The
declaration of the Lillooet Tribe was made in 1911 in
Spences Bridge and is the nation's declaration of ownership over lands that had been seized by non-native settlers at
Seton Portage at the onset of the 20th century, and is considered a general statement of principle regarding ownership of all traditional territories of the Statimcets-speaking peoples. The Declaration of the Lillooet Tribe is the Lillooet Tribe's first formal declaration to the world of the tribes status as a Country, in International terms, as they understood them at that time. The Declaration is mentioned as the foundation document of all the various organizations of the Lillooet Tribe in place today, such as the Statimc Chiefs Council, Lillooet Tribal Council and the
In-SHUCK-ch Nation. The Declaration brings the tribe together at the grassroots level as a Country.
Language
The ancestral language of the Státimc people is
Lillooet
Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road abo ...
(also known as Statimcets, also spelled ''St̓át̓imcets'' or sometimes even ''Sƛ̓áƛ̓imxəc'', pronounced
�ʃtɬʼætɬʼɪmxətʃ, a member of the
Interior Salish
The Interior Salish languages are one of the two main branches of the Salishan language family, the other being Coast Salish. It can be further divided into Northern and Southern subbranches. The first Interior Salish people encountered by Ameri ...
group which includes the languages of the neighbouring
Secwepemc (Shuswap) and
Nlaka'pamux
The Nlakaʼpamux or Nlakapamuk ( ; ), also previously known as the ''Thompson'', '' Thompson River Salish'', ''Thompson Salish'', ''Thompson River Indians'' or ''Thompson River people'', and historically as the ''Klackarpun'', ''Haukamaugh'', ''K ...
(Thompson) peoples.
References
Bibliography
* Joseph, Marie. (1979). ''Cuystwà malh UcwalmÃcwts: UcwalmÃcwts curriculum for beginners''. Mount Currie, B.C.: Ts’zil Publishing House. ISBN.
* Larochell, Martina; van Eijk, Jan P.; & Williams, Lorna. (1981). ''Cuystwà malh UcwalmÃcwts: Lillooet legends and stories''. Mount Currie, B.C.: Ts’zil Publishing House. ISBN.
* Smith, Trefor. ''Our Stories Are Written on the Land A Brief History of the Upper Státimc 1800–1940''. Lillooet, BC: Upper Státimc Language, Culture and Education Society, 1998.
* van Eijk, Jan P. (1991). ''Cuystwà malh UcwalmÃcÊ·ts: Teach yourself Lillooet: UcwalmÃcwts curriculum for advanced learners''. Mount Currie, B.C.: Ts’zil Publishing House. ISBN.
* van Eijk, Jan P. (1997). ''The Lillooet language: Phonology, morphology, syntax''. Vancouver: UBC Press. ISBN.
* Williams, Lorna; van Eijk, Jan P.; & Turner, Gordon. (1979). ''Cuystwà malh UcwalmÃcwts: UcwalmÃcwts curriculum for intermediates''. Mount Currie, B.C.: Ts’zil Publishing House. ISBN.
External links
USLCES webpagessmall>(USLCES webpages)
map of Northwest Coast First Nations(including Statimc)
*
The Sťáťimc Chiefs Councilsmall>(Statimc Chiefs Council(SCC) )
Lil'Wat Nation website(Lower Lillooet/Mt. Currie)
Photos*
{{DEFAULTSORT:St'at'imc People
Lillooet Country