Kamloops Indian Band
Encyclopedia
The Kamloops Indian Band, also known as the Tk’umlups Indian Band, is one of the largest of the 17 groups into which the Secwepemc
(Shuswap) nation was divided when the Colony of British Columbia
established an Indian reserve
system in the 1860s. The Kamloops Indian Band is a First Nations
government within the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council
, which represents ten of the seventeen Secwepemc band governments, all in the southern Central Interior
region, spanning the Thompson
and Shuswap
districts. Four Secwepemc governments in the Cariboo
district form the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council
, while three bands (High Bar
, Alkali Lake, and Canoe Creek/Dog Creek First Nations) have no tribal council affiliation.
and the North Thompson. Europeans who settled in the area brought the native name into the English language
as Kamloops, which became the name of Fort Kamloops, one of the main posts of the Hudson's Bay Company
(originally built by the North West Company
).
Leaders of the Kamloops band of Secwepemc were notable in the history of the colonization of British Columbia. Kwa'lila was a c.1800 chief who invited his better-known nephew Nicola
to the Nicola Valley and passed on the mantle of the Kamloops chieftaincy. Nicola was the presiding chief at Kamloops, and also jointly Grand Chief of the Okanagan people
, during the Fraser Canyon War
and the associated troubles of the Okanagan Trail
, and was made a magistrate
enforcing British law by Governor James Douglas
. Nicola's son Chilliheetza, or Txelexitsa, figured prominently in native/colonist politics in the later 19th Century, as have other chiefs of the Kamloops band since. Other notable Contact-era chiefs were Chief Tranquille and Chief Lolo.
The city of Kamloops is now a major regional urban centre with circa 92,000 residents. The Kamloops Indian Band's business district functions economically as a part of the city, though it is separately administered by the Band. The golf course and resort/recretional community of Sun Rivers
is located on the main Kamloops Reserve.
Controversy over the Sun Peaks Resort
in regard to native title has involved Kamloops band members.
is the Shuswap language
name for "the Trickster", Coyote
).
Secwepemc
The Secwepemc , known in English as the Shuswap people, are a First Nations people residing in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Their traditional territory ranges from the eastern Chilcotin Plateau and the Cariboo Plateau southeast through the Thompson Country to Kamloops and the Shuswap...
(Shuswap) nation was divided when the Colony of British Columbia
Colony of British Columbia
The Colony of British Columbia was a crown colony in British North America from 1858 until 1866. At its creation, it physically constituted approximately half the present day Canadian province of British Columbia, since it did not include the Colony of Vancouver Island, the vast and still largely...
established an Indian reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
system in the 1860s. The Kamloops Indian Band is a First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
government within the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council
Shuswap Nation Tribal Council
The Shuswap Nation Tribal Council is a First Nations Tribal Council in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Based in the Thompson and Shuswap Districts of the Central Interior, although including one band on the upper Columbia River in the East Kootenay region...
, which represents ten of the seventeen Secwepemc band governments, all in the southern Central Interior
British Columbia Interior
The British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...
region, spanning the Thompson
Thompson River
The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches called the South Thompson and the North Thompson...
and Shuswap
Shuswap Lake
Shuswap Lake is a lake located in south-central British Columbia, Canada that drains via the Little River into Little Shuswap Lake. Little Shuswap Lake is the source of the South Thompson River, a branch of the Thompson River, a tributary of the Fraser River...
districts. Four Secwepemc governments in the Cariboo
Cariboo
The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia along a plateau stretching from the Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the woodland caribou that were once abundant in the region...
district form the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council
Northern Shuswap Tribal Council
The Northern Shuswap Tribal Council, also called the Cariboo Tribal Council, is a First Nations government in the Canadian province of British Columbia...
, while three bands (High Bar
High Bar First Nation
The High Bar First Nation is a First Nations government of the Secwepemc Nation, located in the Fraser Canyon-Cariboo region of the Central Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was created when the government of the then-Colony of British Columbia established an Indian Reserve...
, Alkali Lake, and Canoe Creek/Dog Creek First Nations) have no tribal council affiliation.
History
Even prior to European contact, the Secwepemc settlement Tk'emlups, meaning "river junction," was an economically important centre within the area that later came to be called the British Columbia Interior. The reason was its very favourable location at the confluence of two major navigable rivers, the South Thompson RiverThompson River
The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches called the South Thompson and the North Thompson...
and the North Thompson. Europeans who settled in the area brought the native name into the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as Kamloops, which became the name of Fort Kamloops, one of the main posts of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
(originally built by the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
).
Leaders of the Kamloops band of Secwepemc were notable in the history of the colonization of British Columbia. Kwa'lila was a c.1800 chief who invited his better-known nephew Nicola
Nicola (chief)
Nicola , also Nkwala or N'kwala, was an important First Nations political figure in the fur trade era of the British Columbia Interior as well as into the colonial period...
to the Nicola Valley and passed on the mantle of the Kamloops chieftaincy. Nicola was the presiding chief at Kamloops, and also jointly Grand Chief of the Okanagan people
Okanagan people
The Okanagan people, also spelled Okanogan, are a First Nations and Native American people whose traditional territory spans the U.S.-Canada boundary in Washington state and British Columbia...
, during the Fraser Canyon War
Fraser Canyon War
The Fraser Canyon War, also known as the Canyon War or the Fraser River War, was an incident between the Nlaka'pamux people and white miners in the newly declared Colony of British Columbia, which later became part of Canada, in 1858. It occurred during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, which brought a...
and the associated troubles of the Okanagan Trail
Okanagan Trail
The Okanagan Trail was an inland route to the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush from the Lower Columbia region of the Washington and Oregon Territories in 1858-1859...
, and was made a magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
enforcing British law by Governor James Douglas
James Douglas (Governor)
Sir James Douglas KCB was a company fur-trader and a British colonial governor on Vancouver Island in northwestern North America, particularly in what is now British Columbia. Douglas worked for the North West Company, and later for the Hudson's Bay Company becoming a high-ranking company officer...
. Nicola's son Chilliheetza, or Txelexitsa, figured prominently in native/colonist politics in the later 19th Century, as have other chiefs of the Kamloops band since. Other notable Contact-era chiefs were Chief Tranquille and Chief Lolo.
The city of Kamloops is now a major regional urban centre with circa 92,000 residents. The Kamloops Indian Band's business district functions economically as a part of the city, though it is separately administered by the Band. The golf course and resort/recretional community of Sun Rivers
Sun Rivers, British Columbia
Sun Rivers is a community located on the northeastern side of Kamloops, BC on the Kamloops Indian Band Reserve against Mount Peter and Mount Paul. It is located east on Highway 5 near the junction with the Trans Canada Highway. It is developed around the Sun Rivers golf course. Although the golf...
is located on the main Kamloops Reserve.
Controversy over the Sun Peaks Resort
Sun Peaks Resort
Sun Peaks Resort is an alpine ski resort located 50 km northeast of Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.The summit of the ski area is at an elevation of 2,080 m , with an 881 m vertical rise from the base of the peak...
in regard to native title has involved Kamloops band members.
Demographics
The Band currently has circa 1,000 members living on and off its 33000 acres (133.5 km²) reserve. It has active language and cultural programs and its Sk'elep School of Excellence is one of the largest First Nations elementary schools in British Columbia (Sk'elepSk'elep
Sk'elep or Coyote is the traditional trickster figure in the pantheon of Secwepemc mythology. He is featured in many legends and has many powers, including the ability to die and come back to life. Like the animal his character is enjoined to, he is very clever...
is the Shuswap language
Shuswap language
The Shuswap language, known to its speakers as Secwepemctsín , is the traditional language of the Shuswap people of British Columbia. An endangered language, Shuswap is spoken mainly in the Central and Southern interior of British Columbia between the Fraser River and the Rocky Mountains...
name for "the Trickster", Coyote
Coyote (mythology)
Coyote is a mythological character common to many Native American cultures, based on the coyote animal. This character is usually male and is generally anthropomorphic although he may have some coyote-like physical features such as fur, pointed ears, yellow eyes, a tail and claws...
).
Indian Reserves
Some of the Indian Reserves under the administration of the Kamloops Band include:- Kamloops Indian Reserve No. 1, confluence of the South and North Thompson Rivers, adjacent to and within the City of Kamloops, 13283.2 ha. This reserve is what is meant by the common name "Kamloops Indian Reserve". The community of Sun Rivers, British ColumbiaSun Rivers, British ColumbiaSun Rivers is a community located on the northeastern side of Kamloops, BC on the Kamloops Indian Band Reserve against Mount Peter and Mount Paul. It is located east on Highway 5 near the junction with the Trans Canada Highway. It is developed around the Sun Rivers golf course. Although the golf...
is located on this reserve. - Kamloops Indian Reserve No. 2, at outlet of Trapp Lake, 6.0 ha.
- Kamloops Indian Reserve No. 3, on west shore of Trapp Lake, 3.0 ha.
- Kamloops Indian Reserve No. 4, on the right bank of the North Thompson River about 24 miles north of Kamloops., 72.8 ha.
- Kamloops Indian Reserve No. 5, on the north shore of Heffley Lake, 18.6 ha.