About stɑl̓əw̓
Encouraging a voice for Indigenous artists.
stɑl̓əw̓ Arts & Cultural Society is dedicated to advocacy and empowering Indigenous artists living in Coast Salish territories in order to share their gifts.
We honor and respect our ancestors while working to revitalize our traditional practices through mentorship and community building.
Our Mission
stÉ‘lÌ“É™wÌ“ Arts and Cultural Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to empowering Indigenous artists to share their gifts. The society's focus is to foster nationhood and to support the rebuilding of Indigenous communities, particularly through the development of opportunities in the arts, culture and language. This is achieved through training, mentorships and apprenticeships, workshops, culture and heritage projects, gatherings, traditional ceremonial offerings, sharing Elder’s knowledge, access to equipment and venues, and language teaching/use. We support local artists to help revitalize Indigenous culture in our communities and beyond. Our ultimate goals are to improve the social, cultural and economic wellbeing and prosperity of local Indigenous people and to develop healthier, more sustainable Indigenous communities.
​
​
​
​
​
stɑl̓əw̓ Arts and Cultural Society develops opportunities for artists of all Indigenous cultural practices to grow and share their skills, engage with and learn from other Indigenous artists and community members, and promote their work within the community and beyond. Transforming our workshops to a digital format over the past two years has improved the accessibility of our programs, reaching Indigenous artists and communities across the world. Archiving these workshops online ensures that they are available, broadening our audience through space and time.
Each workshop, program, or event we deliver combines multiple art forms, open to community participation. Singing and drumming in our traditional hÉ™nÌ“qÌ“É™minÌ“É™mÌ“ and halq'eméylem languages are key components to our dancing, weaving, carving, visual arts, storytelling, cooking practices, and beyond. We intertwine these traditional practices in our everyday lives and encourage communities to do the same.
​
Our work is guided by the seven traditional laws passed down to us by our ancestors:
​
​
​
​
​
​
We welcome all those interested in Coast Salish traditional arts, culture and language to join us. We aim to create a better world for future generations by sharing our cultural knowledge, practices and by celebrating and respecting the traditional territories on which we live, work, and create.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Support stɑl̓əw̓
Supporting stɑl̓əw̓ means you are supporting the Indigenous community by becoming an ally. All donations go directly to the stɑl̓əw̓ Arts and Cultural Society to fund various artistic and cultural based projects, workshops and events that are dedicated to the advocacy, empowerment and revitalization of Indigenous languages, artistic practices and heritage.