Snowoyelh
Snowoyelh (pronounced snow-why-eth) means traditional law in our language. It is the natural law the Creator gave us; it is the law of everything, the law of life. Snowoyelh is based on respect, recognition, obligation and tradition, and it is the basis of our culture and spirituality.
Developed by the Health & Community Services Department and the Aboriginal Rights & Title Department in collaboration with Child and Family Service consultants, Snowoyelh is the Sts’ailes Administration’s newest department. It oversees three areas: Te Emi:melh, Te Lalem and Telmexw Awtexw.
Te Emi:melh was developed in response to the need for our own culturally appropriate child services. Te Emi:melh (pronounced am-mee-meth) is a generic word meaning children as well as family, by blood or by association. This word carries an obligation that we, as Sts'ailes people, have toward our children, our families, our ancestors and those yet to come, because that is natural law.
Key objectives for Te Emi:melh include:
- To build on Sts’ailes cultural and community strengths
- To ensure the safety and well-being of Sts’ailes children, families and community/band members through all stages of life
- To strongly emphasize culture within the framework of family and community-based systems
Te Lalem (the House) has been operating since April 20, 2008. This residential program is a Sts’ailes community-based collaborative project between the Sts’ailes and the Ministry of Children and Family Development. It is designed to ensure the safety and well being of children and families while keeping them within their community and family system. The facility is staffed 24 hours and runs year round.
Telmexw Awtexw (Medicine House) is a nine-bed treatment facility for Aboriginal persons struggling with addictions who may be on the methadone maintenance program. Participants are often disconnected from their home communities, previously having lived in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside. It is our goal to become a fully accredited treatment center and to develop into a larger healing facility for our people for generations to come.
More information on the program>>
