Who we are

Background

From archaeological evidence it is known that the St’át’imc have occupied our traditional territory for thousands of years. Today the St’át’imc are organized administratively into eleven bands, six of which are members of and support the USLCES and total some 2600 people. The principal commercial and administrative centre for these communities is Lillooet.

Traditional activities such as salmon fishing, deer hunting, berry picking, plant gathering and song and dance continue amongst the St’át’imc. However, St’át’imcets, the language, is today in danger of extinction. Approximately 100 people over the age of sixty are fluent in St’át’imcets.

The Upper St’át’imc Language, Culture and Education Society(USLCES)

USLCES was incorporated under the Societies Act of BC in 1991 and is recognized by Revenue Canada as a charitable organization. Its foundation was an initiative of the Upper St’át’imc Education Committee; the membership comes from the six Upper St’át’imc communities and other interested people from the Lillooet area. Since its formation the Society has been a leading force in developing and administering language and cultural programs with a budget exceeding $100,000.

Under the leadership of the USLCES a number of successful initiatives have been launched to establish a special place: a facility dedicated to St’át’imc culture – a St’át’imc cultural centre.

The Need for a St’át’imc Cultural Centre

Since its inception in 1991 it has been the role of the USLCES to preserve, revive and maintain the language and cultural heritage of the Upper St’át’imc. This is being accomplished mainly through language classes, and publishing culturally relevant teaching materials.

The lack of such a centre has been identified as a serious constraint on the Society’s programs and plans for the future. For example, post-secondary level language classes have had to be shuffled around town as space has been available. The return of St’át’imc cultural artifacts to the community is often dependent on a suitable facility for storage and display being available. No such facility currently exists. As well, for local dance and drama groups practise and performance space is often hard to secure and seldom ideal.

To meet these needs, the Society is planning to develop a centre that will serve as a home to St’át’imc artifacts, archival materials, a publishing office for educational material, for language and cultural programs, theatre and dance groups and a gift shop featuring St’át’imc arts and crafts. As well, the Centre will provide a place for all local residents and visitors to share the unique experience of St’át’imc culture.

Objectives

• Revive and maintain the St’át’imc language and heritage
• Bridge the cultural gap within the Lillooet area
• Educate the St’át’imc and others of our culture and history
• Provide career development opportunities
• Promote the production, sale and trade of traditional arts and crafts

In addition, the USLCES sees the Centre as a focus for the development of St'át'imc tourism-related activities and businesses. With the dramatic growth in the number of visitors to Lillooet in recent years there is enormous potential for developing St'át'imc oriented attractions. Nearby Lillooet, for example, are two undisturbed prehistoric village sites which could have seasonal interpretive programs coordinated through the Centre. This objective of promoting St'át'imc oriented tourism has the solid support of the District of Lillooet as well as the local Chamber of Commerce.