Using ethnographic methods and procedures and grounded theory, the following paper investigates language and cultural transmission among Elders, family members and teachers within an Aboriginal Head Start Family program, run by the Stó:l? First Nation, an indigenous community located in the areas surrounding Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. Extensive observations and video analysis were used to identify a two tiered model of guided participation, in which the program structure elicited opportunities for dyadic interactions, and whole group modeling of cultural rituals and practices.