The events and shape of Kwantlen history and culture before and after European contact is inseparable from that of the Sto:lo people as a whole.

Prior to European contact, the Kwantlen were one of the most populous First Nations of the Lower Fraser and the leading faction of the Sto:lo people.

Kwantlen occupied many significant village sites throughout their territory, including settlements in current day New Westminster, Surrey, Langley, Maple Ridge, and Mission.

Another key area of Kwantlen territory is the Stave River valley that was and continues to be important for hunting, trapping, cedar bark stripping, fishing, and other cultural uses.

The Kwantlen First Nation is a progressive community administered by the hereditary chief and council and advised by the decisions of a formal Elders Advisory Committee that meets once a month.

These entities are: In addition to these business ventures, Seyem' Qwantlen is also involved in a number of heritage and stewardship activities which are designed to improve local fisheries, wildlife and habitat, and bring awareness to the wider non-Native community of the Kwantlen People and their rich culture.

It is the former St. Mary's Indian Residential School just east of Mission and is now a cultural, government, and aboriginal business centre.

In February 2019, an investigative report in the Walrus Magazine written discussed the band's unusual form of hereditary government.