Housing & Our First Nations Communities

Our Communities

Nlaka’pamux

Language connects people – a symbol of identity, language is the way people share social, cultural, and spiritual values, as well as aspirations for the future. The Thompson language, properly known as Nlaka’pamuctsin, more commonly spelled Nlaka’pamux is an Interior Salishan language spoken in the Fraser Canyon, Thompson Canyon, Nicola Country of Canada province of British Columbia, and stems (historically) into the North Cascades region of Whatcom and Chelan Counties of the state of Washington in the United States.

The Nlaka’pamux Nation were semi-nomadic people, meaning they moved around in search of food. Nlaka’pamux First Nations lived in shelters according to travel, weather, and subsidence. The First Nation People lived in Pit House communities that were mostly used during the winter months, although some might have been used all year. A Pit House was a shelter built mostly below ground with an entrance and ladder at the top. Several families lived in a Pit House, as most were 8-10 meters in diameter. The First Nation People lived in Lean-to’s as temporary shelters while travelling. Lean-tos were built to lean against a solid frame and were intended to be very temporary.

Nlaka’pamux First Nations of the Fraser River made their living through seasonal hunting and gathering. They hunted animals such as deer, moose, elk, marmot, black bear and grouse and fished the rivers and creeks for salmon and trout. They also gathered berries, roots, vegetables, mushrooms, bark, and long roots (some for medical benefits).

Nlaka’pamux basket-making is central to Nlaka’pamux cultural identity, embodying women as culture bearers. Their ethno-botanical and technical knowledge have been transferred through female lines for generations, in the making of baskets using traditional motifs. Basket Making is a tangible expression of Nlaka’pamux culture, and it articulates historical memory[1].

Secwépemc

There are approximately 7000 Secwépemc people in the territory which spans 180,000 square kilometes through the interior plateau of south-central British Columbia[2]. The traditional territory stretches from the Columbia River valley along the Rocky Mountains, west to the Fraser River, and south to the Arrow Lakes. Most Secwepemc people live in the river valleys[3].

The traditional Secwepemc lived as a self-governing nation grouped into bands. Although the bands were separate and independent, a common language and a similar culture and belief system united them. Before the smallpox epidemic of 1862 there were thirty-two Secwepemc bands with four Secwepemc dialects. Today, there are 17 remaining bands that make up the Secwepemc Nation and three Secwepemc dialects[4].  Although the bands were separate and independent, they were united by a common language – Secwépemctsin – and a similar culture and belief system[5]“

Traditionally, the Secwepemc depended on the natural resources of the land. Each band usually spent the winter in its own village of pit houses. During the rest of the year most Secwepemc people lived a nomadic lifestyle. They moved from place to place, as foods became available in different areas. They developed a unique culture that was totally self-sufficient[6].

Upper Nicola Band

Upper Nicola is a proud, inclusive Syilx community working together to promote suxʷtxtəm, teach our captíkʷł and committed to building foundations through EnoWkinWix^w.

Upper Nicola is the only Syilx (Okanagan) community in the Nicola Valley. In the 18th century, ancestors of Upper Nicola permanently inhabited the Upper Nicola and Salmon River watersheds because of the Fish Lake Accord with the Kamloops Shuswap tribe. The agreement was made in the late 1700s between the Chiefs of the T’kemlups Secwépemc and the Syilx to end wars between these two communities, where the Syilx were granted the former Secwépemc territory in the vicinity of Douglas Lake[7].

They have traditionally shared this region with our Nlaka’pamux neighbours, the Interior Salish Nation that inhabited the Thompson River region to the south. Our alliances, exchanges, and intermarriages with our neighbours over the centuries have made us a strong and diverse community[8].