Nsvq'tsmc

We are the In-SHUCK-ch, a recent designation that we took from the sacred mountain of In-SHUCK-ch, to  distinguish ourselves from the rest of the Stl’atl’imx or St’át’imc peoples.  It is a “political” designation that allows us to advance our title and rights while maintaining and strengthening our traditional and cultural association with the tribe.  In-SHUCK-ch is how you pronounce Nsvq’ts, a name that people from Xaxtsa, Skatin and Samahquam adopted in the 1980s. A person that identifies as In-SHUCK-ch is an Nsvq’tsmc (pronounced In-SHUCK-ch micw). We borrowed this ancient name from our sacred mountain to identify ourselves in the modern context after we began negotiating treaty. Nsvq’ts (also known as Gunsight Mountain) is important to the entire tribe because this is where our ancestors were saved from the great flood. These events are memorialized in our flag, which shows the In-SHUCK-ch as the three sections of the canoe, and the rest of the tribe is depicted by the 8 wave crests.

Our land (Tmicw) is over the mountains from Whistler and Squamish, only three hours by car from Vancouver. It includes those areas drained by the creeks and rivers that drain the southern half of Lillooet Lake, the lower Lillooet River, and the northern half of Harrison Lake. Our nearest First Nations brothers and sisters are the Lil’wat Nation to the north, and the Chehalis to the south. The nearest municipalities are Pemberton to the north, and Harrison Hot Springs and Agassiz to the south. Only quarter of us live at home. Most others are in the Fraser Valley and the Lower Mainland.  We anticipate that as the In-SHUCK-ch Nation redefines treaty settlement lands and governance, Xax’tsa will also define theirs.  In-SHUCK-ch Nation leadership have said that they will keep the door open for Xax’tsa to rejoin in their own time.