History & Culture

S’olh Tém:éxw is the traditional territory of the Stó:lō people. According to our sxwóxwiyám (legends, spoken history), we have lived here since time immemorial. The Stó:lō traditional territory extends from Yale to Langley, British Columbia. The Seabird Island community was formed in 1879 as a reserve held in-common for seven First Nations Bands and became an independent Band in 1959. Today, the community encompasses over 130 homes, which house more than 1,000 residents. Because First Nations people from seven bands formed Seabird Island, our people are a mixture of both Stō:ló and Nlaka’pamux, and historically we speak the Stō:ló dialect of Halq’émeylēm mixed with Nlaka’pamux.

Our community is guided by the humble, yet profound principle:

Xólhmetes mekw’ li te tém:éxwtset te Sq’éwqel
Seabird Island takes care of everything on the land.