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{{Short description|Salishan ethnic group of British Columbia, Canada}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang = 
| languages = [[English language|English]], [[Lillooet language|St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imcets]]
| religions = [[Christianity]], [[Animism]], other
| related_groups = other [[Interior Salish]]-speaking peoples
| regions = [[Canada]] ([[British Columbia]])
| population = 3,837 (2023) <ref>https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/consulting-with-first-nations/first-nations-negotiations/first-nations-a-z-listing/lower-stl-atl-imx-tribal-council</ref>
| rawimage = File:Charles Gentile-Lillooet Indians (cropped).jpg
}}
The '''St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc''' ({{IPA|lil|ˈʃt͡ɬʼæt͡ɬʼemx}}), also known as the '''Lillooet''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɪ|l|u|ɛ|t}}), St̓át̓imc, or Stl{{hamza}}atl{{hamza}}imx ({{IPAc-en|s|l|æ|t|ˈ|l|iː|ə|m}}), are an [[Interior Salish]] people located in the southern [[Whale Mountains]] and [[Fraser Canyon]] region of the [[British Columbia Interior|Interior]] of the [[Canadian province]] of [[British Columbia]].[[File:Stl'atl'imx tray (UBC-2010).jpg|thumb|St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc tray at [[UBC Museum of Anthropology]] ]]
St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc culture displayed many features typical of [[Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast|Northwest Coast peoples]]: the [[potlatch]], clan names, mythology, prestige afforded the wealthy and generous, and [[totem pole]]s in some communities, especially in the [[Lil{{hamza}}wat First Nation]] (''Lil{{hamza}}wat7ul''), whose tribal lands and trade routes in the [[Whistler, British Columbia|Whistler Valley]] and [[Green River (British Columbia)|Green River Valley]] overlapped with those of the [[Squamish First Nation]], a [[Coast Salish people]].<ref>[http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Lillooet.html Lillooet]</ref> Today they total about 6259.

==Groups==
The St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc are divided linguistically, culturally and geographically into two main tribes or First Nations.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20050427042544/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0007126 Interior Salish]</ref>

* The '''Upper St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc''' (Upper Lillooet or Fraser River Lillooet), living near the present city of [[Lillooet, British Columbia|Lillooet]] on the [[Fraser River]]. They refer to themselves as ''STLA'tlei-mu-wh-talk'' and speak ''St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imcets'' dialect.
* The '''Lower St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc''' (Lower Lillooet or Mount Currie Lillooet), living in the vicinity of today's [[Mount Currie, British Columbia|Mount Currie]] in the [[Pemberton Valley]] and south to [[Skookumchuck Hot Springs, British Columbia|Skookumchuk]]. They refer to themselves as ''LEEL'-wat-OOL'' – 'The true People', 'The true Lillooet' (of which were the words 'Lillooet' and 'Lilwat' derived) and speak ''Ucwalmícwts'' dialect.
* The '''Lakes Lillooet''' (''Lexalexamux'' or ''Tsala'lhmec'' – 'Lake People'),<ref>[http://wc-zope.emergence.com:8080/WildernessCommittee_Org/campaigns/wildlands/lost_valley/reports/Vol26No05/article2 St’át’imc History]{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> a group only sporadically recognized, living between the territories of Upper St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc and Lower St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc around [[Seton Lake]] and [[Anderson Lake (British Columbia)|Anderson Lake]] – whose descendants are today's [[N'quatqua First Nation]] (also known as ''Anderson Lake Indian Band'') and [[Seton Lake First Nation]] (also known as ''Seton Lake Indian Band''), historically a group at the foot of Seton Lake, near Lillooet, known as the ''Skimka'imx'' were also included in this group.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20050114201913/http://www.cayoosh.net/native.html The Stl'atl'imx People (Lillooet, Nequatque & In-SHUCK-ch First Nations)]}}</ref>

===Lower St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc===
*the [[Lil'wat First Nation]], their traditional territory extended south to [[Rubble Creek]] in the [[Cheakamus River]] drainage, near [[Garibaldi, British Columbia|Garibaldi townsite]], north to just below [[Anderson Lake (British Columbia)|Anderson Lake]], east to the Upper [[Stein River|Stein Valley]] and west to the [[Toba Inlet]] of the Pacific Ocean, in total approximately 780,000 ha, the current community [[Mount Currie, British Columbia|Mount Currie]] (or ''Lilwat{{hamza}}ul'') is the heart of the Lil’wat Nation territory
*the [[Xa'xtsa First Nation]] (also known as the [[Douglas First Nation]]), Xa’xtsa (pronounce: ''ha-htsa'') is made up of two communities: [[Port Douglas, British Columbia|Port Douglas]] at the northern end of [[Harrison Lake|Little Harrison Lake]], about 90&nbsp;km northeast of Vancouver, and their main community [[Tipella]], on the west side of the [[Lillooet River]], southernmost of the In-SHUCK-ch communities, and also of the entire St’atl’imx linguistic group ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɑː|t|s|ə}}{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}})
*the [[Skatin First Nations]] (pron. {{IPAc-en|s|k|ɑː|ˈ|t|iː|n}}), at [[Skookumchuck Hot Springs]] on the [[Lillooet River]], the community is located on the east side of the Lillooet River, on the 19-Mile Post of the old Harrison-Lillooet wagon road (about 35 kilometres from the head of Harrison Lake), before the arrival of European settlers, this community was considered to be the largest on the lower Lillooet River, comparable in size to the pre-contact village of present-day Mount Currie of the Lil'wat First Nation
*the [[Samahquam First Nation]] ({{IPAc-en|ʃ|ə|ˈ|m|ɑː|k|w|əm}}{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}) (‘warm place out of the cold’, pronounced: 'shah-MAH-kwum'), returned to their reservation lands in the early 1990s and constructed the Baptiste Smith community, at the southwest end of Little Lillooet Lake (aka ''Tenas Lake'', derived from the [[Chinook Jargon]] ''tenass'' – 'little') on the [[Lillooet River]] system. They once occupied both sides of Little Lillooet Lake.

The tiny and remote communities of Samahquam, Xa'xtsa and Ska'tin Bands collectively, including the Tenas Lake Band, seceded from the larger Lillooet Tribal Council (now called the [[St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc Nation]]) at the same time to join the [[N'quatqua First Nation]] at ([[D'Arcy, British Columbia|D'Arcy]]) to form the [[In-SHUCK-ch]] Nation. Since the 1980s these First Nations called themselves '''''Nsvq’tsmc''''' ('In-SHUCK-ch micw'), derived from ''Nsvq’ts'' – 'split like a crutch', the name of the holy mountain, now called [[In-SHUCK-ch Mountain]] (also called Gunsight Mountain).

===Upper St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc===
The tribal territory of the different groups of the Upper St{{hamza}}át{{hamza}}imc extended west of the Fraser River from the mouth of the Pavilion Creek (′Sk'elpáqs′) to the Texas Creek in the mountains above the [[Bridge River, British Columbia|Bridge River]] and westward through the valleys of Seton Lake and Anderson Lake to Duffey Lake. The territory of the Upper St{{hamza}}át{{hamza}}imc east of the Fraser River included the [[Fountain Valley (British Columbia)|Three Lake Valley]] (also known as ''Fountain Valley'') and the adjacent mountains and stretched towards the [[Hat Creek (British Columbia)|Hat Creek]], a tributary of the Bonaparte River.

The Upper St{{hamza}}át{{hamza}}imc settled in several main settlements on the banks above the Fraser River and on the banks of the Seton and Anderson Lake&nbsp;— probably the word 'St{{hamza}}át{{hamza}}imc' is derived from a former village ''T{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}lh'' on Keatley Creek. Previous there were the following communities: ''Sk'ámqain'' on the shore of Seton Lake, ''Sat{{hamza}}'' at the site of present-day city of Lillooet, ''Nxwísten'' at the mouth of the Bridge River, ''Xáxlip'' (′Fountain′), ''Slha7äs'' and ''Tsal'álh'' along Seton Lake and ''Nk'wátkwa'' on the western shore of Lake Anderson. Beside those significant settlements there have been several smaller villages. In [[Pavilion, British Columbia|Pavilion]] (Tsk'wáylacw), a mainly ethnically and linguistically [[Secwepemc]] settlement in the 19th century, since the beginning of the 20th century this community speaks usually [[Lillooet language|St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imcets]], but their particular dialect is a hybrid of St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imcets and [[Secwepemctsin]], because there had been many mixed marriages between Secwepemc and St{{hamza}}át{{hamza}}imc, know forming the [[Tsk'weylecw'mc]] or [[Pavilion Indian Band]].

*[[N'quatqua]] in [[D'Arcy, British Columbia|D'Arcy]].  Also known as the Anderson Lake Band and one of the original members of the breakaway [[In-SHUCK-ch]] Nation, although now on its own from that organization and from the Lillooet Tribal Council, despite close family ties to the various bands of that organization.  Located at the head of [[Anderson Lake (British Columbia)|Anderson Lake]], northeast of [[Pemberton, British Columbia|Pemberton]].  Historically the N'Quatqua and Tsalalh bands were one group, the Lakes Lillooet or Lexalexamux, and included a group at the foot of Seton Lake, near Lillooet, known as the Skimka'imx.
*[[Tsal'álh|Tsaľálh]] ([[Shalalth, British Columbia|Shalalth]]), Skeil, Ohin, Lh7us (Slosh) and Nquayt (Nkiat).  Lh7us and Nquayt are at  [[Seton Portage, British Columbia|Seton Portage]], Skeil, Ohin and Shalalth farther east along [[Seton Lake.]]  All of these are collectively self-governed within the Lillooet Tribal Council as the [[Seton Lake First Nation]].
*[[Sekw'el'wás]] in [[Lillooet, British Columbia|Lillooet]] (Cayoose Creek/Pashilqua Reserves)
*[[T'it'q'et First Nation|T{{hamza}}ít{{hamza}}q'et]] in [[Lillooet, British Columbia|Lillooet]], also spelled Tl'itl'kt (Lillooet Reserve)
*[[Nxwísten]] in [[Lillooet, British Columbia|Lillooet]] ([[Bridge River Indian Band]])
*[[Xaxli'p First Nation|Cácl'ep]] near [[Lillooet, British Columbia|Lillooet]]  (pron. {{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɑː|l|ɪ|p}}{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} and also spelled Xa'xlip) [[Fountain Indian Band]].
*[[Tsk'weylecw]] (in an older spelling used in [[St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imcets]] called ''Tsk'waylaxw'', also known as the [[Pavilion Indian Band]] and located at [[Pavilion, British Columbia|Pavilion]], which is between [[Lillooet, British Columbia|Lillooet]] and [[Cache Creek, British Columbia|Cache Creek]] on the lip of the [[Fraser Canyon]] and at the outlet of the [[karst|karst landscape]] forming [[Marble Canyon (British Columbia)|Marble Canyon]], beyond which are the territories of the Bonaparte Band of the [[Secwepemc|Secwepemc (Shuswap) peoples]], who are part of the [[Shuswap Nation Tribal Council]].

==History==
They had several types of dwellings—long plank houses, winter earthlodges, and summer bark- or mat-covered lodges, not unlike those at the [[Keatley Creek Archaeological Site]]. Salmon and other fish were the basis of the economy, and numerous animals (bear, sheep, caribou, deer, and small mammals) were hunted and trapped, and berries and fruit were gathered. Warfare with other groups was unusual, with intensive intertribal trade the more typical state of affairs. The Tsilhqot’in-St’at’imc war was one brutal war for the St’at’imc and threatened their survival as a nation. The Tsilhqot’in raided all 11 bands of the St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc and took women and children as slaves. Both nations met at many roots (Graveyard Valley) in the St’at’imc territory at which the St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc were victorious. Chief In-Kick-Tee (Hunter Jack) was the warchief in that battle and made a peace treaty in 1845.

===Declaration of the Lillooet Tribe===
The [[declaration of the Lillooet Tribe]] was made in 1911 in [[Spences Bridge, British Columbia|Spences Bridge]] and is the nation's declaration of ownership over lands that had been seized by non-native settlers at [[Seton Portage]] at the onset of the 20th century, and is considered a general statement of principle regarding ownership of all traditional territories of the St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imcets-speaking peoples. The Declaration of the Lillooet Tribe is the Lillooet Tribe's first formal declaration to the world of the tribes status as a Country, in International terms, as they understood them at that time. The Declaration is mentioned as the foundation document of all the various organizations of the Lillooet Tribe in place today, such as the St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc Chiefs Council, Lillooet Tribal Council and the [[In-SHUCK-ch Nation]]. The Declaration brings the tribe together at the grassroots level as a Country.

==Language==
{{Main|Lillooet language}}
The ancestral language of the St{{hamza}}át{{hamza}}imc people is [[Lillooet language|Lillooet]] (also known as St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imcets, also spelled ''St̓át̓imcets'' or sometimes even ''Sƛ̓áƛ̓imxəc'', pronounced [ˈʃtɬʼætɬʼɪmxətʃ]), a member of the [[Interior Salish]] group which includes the languages of the neighbouring [[Secwepemc]] (Shuswap) and [[Nlaka'pamux]] (Thompson) peoples.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Joseph, Marie. (1979). ''Cuystwí malh Ucwalmícwts: Ucwalmícwts curriculum for beginners''. Mount Currie, B.C.: Ts’zil Publishing House. ISBN.
* Larochell, Martina; van Eijk, Jan P.; & Williams, Lorna. (1981). ''Cuystwí malh Ucwalmícwts: Lillooet legends and stories''. Mount Currie, B.C.: Ts’zil Publishing House. ISBN.
* Smith, Trefor. ''Our Stories Are Written on the Land A Brief History of the Upper St{{hamza}}át{{hamza}}imc 1800–1940''. Lillooet, BC: Upper St{{hamza}}át{{hamza}}imc Language, Culture and Education Society, 1998. {{ISBN|1-896719-08-2}}
* van Eijk, Jan P. (1991). ''Cuystwí malh Ucwalmícʷts: Teach yourself Lillooet: Ucwalmícwts curriculum for advanced learners''. Mount Currie, B.C.: Ts’zil Publishing House. ISBN.
* van Eijk, Jan P. (1997). ''The Lillooet language: Phonology, morphology, syntax''. Vancouver: UBC Press. ISBN.
* Williams, Lorna; van Eijk, Jan P.; & Turner, Gordon. (1979). ''Cuystwí malh Ucwalmícwts: Ucwalmícwts curriculum for intermediates''. Mount Currie, B.C.: Ts’zil Publishing House. ISBN.

==External links==
* [http://www.uslces.org/ USLCES webpages]<small>(USLCES webpages)</small>
* [http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/abed/images/map2.jpg map of Northwest Coast First Nations] (including  St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc)
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20050114201913/http://www.cayoosh.net/native.html History Of The Stl'atl'imx People]}}
* [http://www.statimc.net The Sťáťimc Chiefs Council]<small>(St{{hamza}}at{{hamza}}imc Chiefs Council(SCC) )</small>
* [http://www.lilwatnation.com Lil'Wat Nation website] <small>(Lower Lillooet/Mt. Currie)</small>
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070724121326/http://survivingcanada.resist.ca/image/tid/7 Photos]
* {{CathEncy|wstitle=Lillooet Indians}}

{{Commons category|St'at'imc}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:St'at'imc People}}
[[Category:St'at'imc| ]]
[[Category:Lillooet Country]]