‘Where The Rivers Meet’ – home of the Tk’emlupsemc ‘People of the Confluence’
Justin Prairie Chicken sat in the bow beating a drum as six of us paddled the large canoe, Pacific Dancer, down the South Thompson River toward Kamloops. We passed brown hills with occasional hoodoos as Justin explained the indigenous ways of the Secwepemc Nation and sang in his native tongue.
We were getting a first-hand look at how in olden days, and even today, mighty rivers are important transportation routes. The place where two such rivers, namely the North Thompson River and South Thompson Rivers, meet is of great strategic and economic importance. Kamloops is the phonetic translation of the Shuswap word Tk’emlúps, meaning ‘where the rivers meet,’ and for millennia has been the home of the Tk’emlupsemc, ‘people of the confluence.’ As we paddled on we heard the pounding of drums of the Kamloopa Powwow on the north shore, and then entered the city of Kamloops.
The Secwepemc (pronounced suh-Wep-muhc) People, known by non-natives as the Shuswap, have lived in BC for at least 10,000 years. At the time of European contact, the Secwepemc occupied one large Traditional territory covering approximately 145,000 square kilometers. In 1811, the colonial government divided the Secwepemc people into 17 distinct groups with specific parcels of land designated to each. Today the Secwepemc Nation Tribal Council is composed of nine bands.
One of them is the Tk’emlupsemc. Their reserve land base was established in 1862 and is located to the northeast of the confluence of the two Thompson rivers. With its strategic location, combined with the Band’s military strength, as well as their ancestor’s pivotal role in the creation of peace accords, the Tk’emlupsemc were designated the Secwepemc7uwi,‘the real Shuswap’.
As in the rest of Canada, the Secwepemc Nation and the Tk’emlupsemc suffered heavily under colonialization. In addition to losing great swathes of their traditional territory, the Kamloops Indian Residential School was opened in 1890 and continued operation until 1977. Run by Oblate missionaries of the Roman Catholic church, it was one of the largest residential schools in British Columbia. In 1958, over 400 students were enrolled. They were not allowed to speak their native language or practice their own spirituality.
Today, the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Band, has approximately 1,000 members living on and off its 33,000-acre (130 square kms) reserve. In 2018, Rosanne Casimir, 50, was elected chief. She is part of the governing council of eight members. In 1999, the Band purchased an additional 20,000 acres of land. The residential school still stands today, but houses administrative offices for the Band.
The Band has been proactive on many commercial and industrial fronts including tourism. Just below the “school” stands the Secwepemc Museum whose four galleries are dedicated to the preservation of the language, culture and history of their people. It is filled with artifacts such as canoes, fish traps, axes, arrows, clothing, tools and includes a gift shop. The Museum shows videos and also offers tours of the nearby residential school.
I wandered through the adjacent Heritage Park, a five-hectare area with a remarkable reconstructed full-scale winter pithouse village. I entered some of the five pithouses that represent different eras dating back 5,000 years. The park includes ethnobotanical gardens, featuring traditional plants the Secwepemc used for food and medicine, and the remnants of Brother Joseph’s apple orchard.
The Kamloopa Powwow, I found, is the most spectacular expression of the vibrant Secwepemc culture, a pulsating display of storytelling, song, and dance in traditional regalia. Held annually in early August it is one of the biggest powwows in Canada, attracting about 20,000 attendees over three days. In 2019, it celebrated its 40th anniversary. I was overwhelmed by the opening Grand Entrance when about 1,000 participants, all bedecked in traditional regalia of feathers, beads, rattles, bustles, paint and buckskin crowded into and danced around the arbour to the thunderous beat of drums. They formed a frenzied, vivid kaleidoscope of colour with everyone smiling and happy.
The philosophy behind powwows became clear. Everybody participates! Everyone dances, from young to old. The very elaborate and intricate regalia are made by the dancers themselves or by close relatives. Nothing is store bought. What a refreshing contrast to us non-natives, who seem to have become spectators to life. Powwows not only preserve native culture, but are also immensely satisfying. As I was witnessing, they are a time for people to gather, sing, dance, feast, pray, renew old friendships and make new ones. They are fabulous events, featuring culture, participation, friendship and a lot of fun! We non-natives have much to learn.
If You Go:
Kamloopa Powwow: www.tourismkamloops.com/listing/kamloopa-powwow/143/
Secwepemc Museum & Heritage Park: www.secwepemcmuseum.ca
Indigenous Canoe Tour: www.moccasintrails.com
Accommodation in Kamloops: The Plaza Hotel and The Riverside Bed & Breakfast