Image: Graduates of UFV's Halq’eméylem certificate program enjoy a ceremony in the Gathering Place on UFV's Chilliwack campus on June 18. / UFV / Provided
REVITALIZING LANGUAGE

First batch of UFV Stó:lō language students walk the graduation stage

Jun 28, 2025 | 3:40 PM

CHILLIWACK — An oral dialect spoken by the Stó:lō communities for thousands of years could soon continue to thrive after the first cohort of eight Halq’eméylem students graduated from the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) this month.

The Upriver Halq’éméylem dialect was used by Indigenous people along the Fraser River and its tributaries, on Vancouver Island and in some areas of Washington. It was first written down in 1976 by the Coqualeetza Elders Group and linguist Brent Galloway, with assistance from UFV honorary degree recipients Elizabeth Herrling and Siyamiyateliyot Elizabeth Phillips in the preservation work.

That effort then allowed UFV’s Modern Languages department to keep the language alive – which is especially crucial with only one living fluent speaker left to share it. The university’s graduate diploma program started as a language course in 2005, but Associate Professor Mary Stewart has been teaching the dialect for the past 30 years thanks to her education from the Stó:lō Nation Agency.

“They offered classes during the day. It was all day. So, I gave up my job and started learning Upriver Halq’eméylem. It was only going to be for six months — but it’s been a lifelong journey,” she said.

Now, one of her students gets to come home and teach the language herself. Siyámíya Dianna Kay’s family has lived on Seabird Island for generations, and she hopes to educate others as she completes her PhD in Education and Language Revitalization at the University of Victoria.

“The language is the voice of our land,” said Kay. “It’s the way the land communicates through me. It’s a connection to my past that helps me understand the Stó:lō worldview, our cultural and traditional teachings. It makes me feel closer to my ancestors.”

The students graduated on June 11 and celebrated at a special ceremony on UFV’s Chilliwack campus on June 18.

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