The gravel crunches under my boots as I walk the path along the Fraser River in Chilliwack, where the water has carved its way through these lands for millennia. It’s the same river the Stó:lō people—whose name literally means “people of the river”—have called home since time immemorial. Standing here, I can almost feel the layers of history beneath my feet.
“We’ve always been here, and we’ll always be here,” says Naxaxalhts’i, also known as Sonny McHalsie, a cultural advisor and historian with the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre. “But there’s still so much about our history and culture that people living in these communities don’t understand.”
That gap in understanding is precisely what the newly announced 2025 Cultural Experience Series aims to address, bringing together the communities of Chilliwack and Mission through a year-long exploration of Stó:lō history, culture, and contemporary life.
The series, announced last week by the Fraser Valley Cultural Collective, will feature monthly events alternating between the two cities, offering what organizers describe as “immersive learning experiences” rather than typical museum exhibitions or static displays.
“This isn’t about putting Indigenous culture behind glass,” explains Morgan Reilly, coordinator for the series. “It’s about creating spaces where community members can engage with living history and contemporary Stó:lō perspectives through direct experience.”
The ambitious program came together through a partnership between the Stó:lō Nation, the municipalities of Chilliwack and Mission, and several community organizations. It received $375,000 in funding from the B.C. Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport under their Community Cultural Development program.
What makes this series particularly significant is its timing. The year 2025 marks several overlapping anniversaries: 160 years since the incorporation of Chilliwack, 130 years since Mission became a municipality, and 25 years since the landmark Supreme Court ruling in R. v. Sparrow, which affirmed Aboriginal fishing rights for the Stó:lō and other First Nations.
But the series isn’t just about commemorating dates. According to Dr. Keith Carlson, professor of history at the University of Saskatchewan and longtime researcher of Stó:lō history, the events are designed to challenge conventional understandings of the region’s past.
“There’s this pervasive myth that history in this region began with European settlement,” Carlson told me during a phone interview. “What this series acknowledges is that when settlers arrived, they were entering into a complex Indigenous world with established governance systems, economies, and cultural practices that had been evolving for thousands of years.”
The series will launch in February with “Stó:lō Through the Seasons,” an exploration of traditional ecological knowledge at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre. Other events include a June canoe journey on the Fraser River, a September harvest festival at Mission’s Fraser River Heritage Park, and a November showcase of contemporary Stó:lō artists at the Reach Gallery in Abbotsford.
Perhaps most innovatively, the series includes what organizers call “community story circles” where elders and knowledge keepers will share oral histories in intimate settings throughout both communities.
“Our history isn’t written in books,” says Tseloyothelwet, also known as Grand Chief Clarence Pennier of the Stó:lō Tribal Council. “It’s carried in stories, in place names, in our relationship to the land. This series gives us the opportunity to share these stories in the way they were meant to be shared—through the spoken word, in community.”
The series also addresses some painful chapters. An October symposium at the University of the Fraser Valley will examine the legacy of residential schools in the region, including St. Mary’s Residential School in Mission, which operated from 1861 to 1984.
“Reconciliation requires truth,” says Joseph Dandurand, a poet and member of Kwantlen First Nation who is helping coordinate the symposium. “We can’t move forward together without acknowledging the harms that were done. But we also need to celebrate the resilience of our cultures and languages that survived despite everything.”
For local educators, the series offers valuable opportunities. The Chilliwack School District is developing curriculum connections that will allow students to participate in the events and incorporate what they learn into their studies.
“This is exactly the kind of authentic learning experience that the new B.C. curriculum calls for,” explains Kirsten Tosczak, Indigenous education coordinator for the district. “Students will have the chance to learn directly from knowledge keepers and see how Indigenous perspectives inform everything from environmental stewardship to governance.”
Tourism officials in both communities also see potential benefits. Research from Destination BC shows that cultural tourism is growing rapidly, with visitors increasingly seeking authentic connections to the places they visit.
“Visitors want more than just beautiful scenery,” says Matt Brouwer of Tourism Chilliwack. “They want to understand the cultural context of the places they’re experiencing. This series will create those deeper connections not just for tourists, but for residents as well.”
As I finish my walk along the river, I pass a group of children skipping stones across the water. I wonder what their understanding of this place will be after experiencing the upcoming series—how much richer their sense of home might become when they know whose footsteps came before theirs.
The full calendar of events for the 2025 Cultural Experience Series will be released next month on the Fraser Valley Cultural Collective website, with registration for the first events opening in November 2024.
