|
Traditions Flood Story |
TraditionsThe waterways (of the Lillooet River-Harrison Lake system) have always been our lifeblood. We identify ourselves by our connection to the land and water. We have always used our fishing stations to harvest the salmon, which we ate fresh or preserved and stored for winter use. In the fall and winter, we ventured out beyond our villages to hunt black-tailed deer, black bear, mountain goat, and other animals. In summer, we picked berries along the river and in the alpines. We gathered root vegetables to supplement our diets. We made coiled basketry, clothing, and other implements, using the red cedar tree, which once grew everywhere on our lands. Our ancestors were important middlemen in the Coastal-Interior trade network. We intermarried with the Chehalis and Scowlitz on the southern end of Harrison Lake, with the Lil’wat at Mount Currie, with the Upper Lillooet groups, and to a lesser extent with the Nlkapamux or Thompson in the Fraser Canyon. Relations with the Thompson were not always amicable, and warfare was not uncommon between us. We also disputed with the various Sto:lo groups for elk-hunting grounds on the north side of the Fraser River. In traditional times, our people were spread out along the lower Lillooet River and Harrison Lake in small, permanent villages, which consisted of extended family groups and headed by a kúkwpi7, or ‘chief’. The people chose the most respected and most able person for this position. There were also hunting chiefs, or twit, as well as those who led ceremonies and other people who were respected for their knowledge and influence, particularly among the elders. Watchmen acted to keep the peace in the village and to relay messages to neighbouring villages. Healers, or scwená7em, acted as intermediaries in rituals and cured illness. Our traditions are recorded in our stories and practices that carry on today. Our traditions and stories come from and are a part of our land. |
| Message board Site map Webmail Terminal Server Contact us | |