Who we are

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Snqʷeyłmistn translates from the Salish language to; the place where you do your best.

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​Snqʷeyłmistn is a native led 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana. We are working to indigenize solutions for the foster care issues of the Flathead Reservation.  Ultimately, we would like to create a model that can be used for other First Nations across Turtle Island.

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Our programs and activities are designed to empower, strengthen, and inspire generational change. We will create a strong foundation where each generation will be inherently healthier than the last, reversing the impact of inter-generational trauma.

 

The organization will provide culturally relevant homes for foster children on the Flathead Reservation.

 

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Our Mission

 

To nurture indigenous community through experiential learning and traditional life ways.

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Our Vision

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The Flathead Reservation is a place where there is an Intentional community of resilient indigenous families with a sound sense of identity and purpose.

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• Ceremony is at the center of the community

• All community members do the work together. In this way, the community is a healing place.

• With strong support for families every step of the way, no one has to be alone in raising kids.

• Children will have forever homes, a place where there is no clock in/out, kids don’t feel like they are a job.

• We will collaborate with other tribal organizations to provide children with quality services. 

• The community comes together to create their own trauma informed education system.  Where nature and mentors provide experiences, students have the opportunity to create their own stories.  We will respect one another, and recognize the connection with all living things as sacred.

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​Why We Matter

 

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The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Social Services is over capacity, with anywhere from 70-150 open cases on the reservation at any given time. In some situations, native children are being placed with non-Native families and are being sent away from their homelands. In contrast, we seek to instill Salish identity, and recognize the importance of the values of our ancestors. We share the vision that the answer to stronger future generations of Salish people lies directly within our own way of life.  We firmly believe that resiliency, balance, and the answers to healing lay within our own ideologies, ceremonies, language, and ways of being.

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Our Core Values align with those of the Salish medicine wheel

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• Loving

• Caring

• Sharing

• Giving

• Truth