Thélá:ylexw awtxw amplifies the voices and leadership of Stó:lō women

Through community events and programming, Thélá:ylexw awtxw Foundation creates opportunities for Stó:lō women to heal, connect with their culture, share knowledge with one another and advocate for social change. During this tough economic climate, where organizations are having to do more with less, Thélá:ylexw awtxw’s board chair Leslie Bonshor reflects on why her work is important.

Q: Tell us about your work at Thélá:ylexw awtxw. What is it about?
Thélá:ylexw awtxw, which means “House of Life Givers,” is the manifestation of Stó:lō womxn’s work and vision to organize ourselves, bring forward our traditional teachings, affirm our strength through one another, and maintain our rightful place as the strength and foundation of our families and communities.

By providing gathering space and time that is free of distraction, we can nurture ourselves through self-care and discussion to further implement the good work we are doing in our respective communities and decide together on the direction and response to the challenges and success we’ve experienced.

Q:  Why is this work important to you?
By sharing our stories and family history, in person and virtually, we are weaving the delicate pieces of our collective story to ensure that our descendants are equipped with the knowledge and direction they need from us for generations to come.  It is critical we move with the times and embed our grandmother’s teachings into our work moving forward before they are gone.

One of Thélá:ylexw awtxw’s members learns to build her own strip cedar canoe from master canoe builder Keith Point. (Photo submitted by Thélá:ylexw awtxw)

Q: What’s been the most rewarding thing for you to witness while doing this work?
The impact on our women, having space and time to sit with one another has been immensely inspiring and surprising in ways.  As Stó:lō women, we do not realize how much work we take on, how busy we’ve been, which leaves little time for self-care and connection with each other.  Traditionally we had time to work alongside one another and garner the necessary mental and physical support of other women. In modern times, we simply burn the candle at both ends keeping up with our jobs, families and community responsibilities. Thélá:lexw awtxw has answered the call that many of us did not know we needed to make: to stop, reflect and support one another.  It has been an honour and privilege to be a part of this simple service, that has since seeded amazing work that is realized at these very events. I guess, as women we are always working even when we think we aren’t.

Q: What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced while carrying this out?
Logistically the service area for Stó:lō women is large in geography, from approximately Abbotsford to Yale. Not having a physical space where we can host meetings, do outreach and run ongoing programs for our elders and women has been a barrier to us successfully moving forward with some initiatives.  Working in a purely online capacity can also pose as a challenge in reaching the communities we serve and acting on the diverse plans the women want to engage on. Luckily, we now have our website up and running and many programs are in community or out on the land, so we continue to be creative in our operations.

Members of Thélá:ylexw awtxw conduct a cedar brush, a sacred practice of the Stó:lō people. (Photo submitted by Thélá:ylexw awtxw)

Other challenges continue to be having the proper capacity to do more community outreach and offer quality programming that addresses the gaps that exist in the current model of status First Nations servicing on-reserve members.  With the silos and duplications that can occur, it takes time and resources to do proper assessment and research in this area to be truly effective.

Q:  How can donors and service providers support you to overcome this challenge?
We would welcome support in the form of targeted funding to rent some space for our staff and of course, the matriarchs. The goal is to have a hub where we can gather, connect and do some media that truly reflects Stó:lō women and community voices.  Any kind of collaboration with other service providers to improve our women’s mental health and meet their needs is welcomed.  That collaboration can be helping with job search and retention, equipping them with life skills or simply providing a supportive community where aunties can be active in their community — that’s what the work thrives on.

To support Thélá:ylexw awtxw Foundation, contact them on their website .