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Abstract

This thesis investigates the concern caused to some members of the Stó:lō Nation by the increasing prevalence of Plains cultural traits and activities in the Stó:lō people's Fraser Valley territory of British Columbia. Competing presentations of Stó:lō identity are common, and the identity revealed is neither that of a traditional past, nor one which is fully pan-Indian. I describe that which is often over-looked in the literature: the local-level dilemmas aroused by Stó:lō identity construction. To do this, I recount the opinions of three Stó:lō educators and incorporate the writings on identity, political economy, and pan-tribalism. I am particularly concerned with the competitions between what is viewed locally as traditional Stó:lō culture, and a foreign, Plains pan-native culture. Contention exists around these available identities, and as a result, some Stó:lō people are working to understand and rationalize a pan-Indian presence with a unique Stó:lō heritage. Ultimately, I suggest that the Stó:lō are asserting a flexible and adaptive identity suitable to fit into contemporary political and economic demands.