Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC)

Caring For Ancestors

As Stó:lō, we have always laid our loved ones to rest in their home cemeteries. Over millennia, we used different types of ancestor memorials to honour our dead, described in this section. Our ancestors of long ago are now physically part of our land. Spiritually, we look after them through ‘burning’ ceremonies. In the afterlife, some return to us as the life force of newborn children.

A photo of a maple tree with people standing on a mound behind it.
A ring of medium to large grey stones piled like a cairn.
A person standing next to a cluster of large stones eroding from the ground.
A river terrace with a number of trees and mounds.
A river terrace with a number of trees and mounds.
One person standing on top of a large mound. The mound is sectioned for archaeological excavations and several people are working in it.
Three pieces of flat abalone shell shaped into ornaments.
Three pieces of flat abalone shell shaped into ornaments.
A small oxidized metal hoop, that is greenish in color.
A flattened and oxidized circle of metal.
Five oxidized metal hoops, three small ones and two large ones.
A large flattened oxidized metal hoop, with four four small pieces attached, greenish in color.
A large broken oxidized metal hoop, greenish in color.
A broken oxidized metal hoop, greenish in color.
Small shell beads laying on top of dirt; some of the beads are strung together.
Many small beads lined up in eight rows.
A small box of shell beads laying on top of dirt.
A single shell bead up close.
A single shell bead, pictured up close with scalloped edges.
White cube on black tag on dark grey background.