A few hours to the north of Vancouver lies the St'át'imc Nation. St'át'imc (pronounced Stat-lee-um) is both the name of the people and that of their ancient land which encompasses the biggest mountains, canyons, rivers and lakes in southwest British Columbia, with abundant clean water and wildlife such as salmon, sturgeon, eagle, spotted owl, mule deer, mountain goat, cougar, grizzly bear, wolf and many plants used for food or medicine.

Welcome to St'át'imc Territory

Wilderness Committee Educational Report Vol.26 - No.06, Summer 2007

St’át’imc Cultural Experience Tours

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St’át’imc tours are unique cultural eperiences, many of which take you into the heart of native communities. Experience traditional foods, view archeological sites, watch St’á’timc people net giant salmon, ride an air conditioned native-owned train along beautiful lakeshores, take a boat ride to view ancient pictographs, climb into traditional underground houses, listen to story-telling, and watch traditional dancers and drummers.

These affordable tours ($10-80 per person) can be tailor made to fit your interests and budget. Tours are operated by the St’át’imc Heritage and Learning Centre in Lillooet. Tours are avaliable 7 days a week from 9-4 PM, June through September. Call 250-256-0673 for more information or visit www.uslces.org

Ts’wan - an essential St’át’imc food
This tour takes you on a 15 minute drive north of Lillooet to the world famous Xwisten fish rocks – watch the St’át’imc fish with dip-nets and/or dry salmon with their traditional drying racks as they have for thousands of years. Learn about the unique hot and dry weather conditions necessary for making wind-dried salmon (ts’wan).

S7istken (eesh-kin) Archeology Site
This tour takes you on a 20 minute drive north of Lillooet for an interpretive tour of the Xwisten s7istken village archeological site featuring over 80 ancient pit houses and caches.

St’át’imc Way of Life
A 5 minute drive from Lillooet is the St’át’imc community of T’it’q’et where you are invited to explore a replica s7istken pit house and watch a story-telling performance by bear and cougar. View pictograph wall paintings, observe a commitment ceremony by members of the Frog Clan, and enjoy a traditional lunch.

St’át’imc Plant Use
A 5 minute drive southwest of Lillooet is the St’át’imc community of Sek’wel’wás. Take a walk along salmon spawning channels, birdwatch, and learn about traditional uses of plants for food and medicine.

Train and Boat Tour
Board the beautiful St’át’imc passenger shuttle train for a return ride to the St’át’imc communities of Shalalth and Seton Portage. The train travels along picturesque Seton Lake where big horn sheep, bear, deer and eagle are often seen. Then proceed to the boat launch on spectacular Anderson Lake for a stunning tour featuring mountain vistas, archeology sites and bird watching.