Doug Neasloss/Spirit Bear Lodge
First Nations
Thorsen Creek Valley near Bella Coola, ancient petroglyphs honouring the power and mystery of nature are still visible on rock faces near waterfalls and caves, where guided tours are now offered by the Nuxalk (nu-halk). Though a visit is not usually on tourist itineraries, the Acwsalcta grade school is a showcase for indigenous arts, including a magnificent totem pole carved by a teacher and three students. Erected in 2002, it is the first Nuxalk totem pole raised here in 38 years.
sites, pictographs and petroglyphs 8,000 to 10,000 years old, traditional fishing spots and abandoned mining sites. Catch the Nemiah Pow Wow, held annually the last weekend of July, to enjoy a colorful display of regalia and dancing. Join the Xeni Gwet’in (honey ko-teen) at the annual summer elders gathering, where elders and youth come together to teach and learn traditional games, stories, hunting and gathering, and all are welcome.
Those interested in First Nations art also seek out Bella Coola’s Petroglyph Gallery for works by world-famous Silyas “Art” Saunders and his son Skip. Appointments can be booked at the visitor centre to meet with Art in his workshop at the Silyas Gallery, located just east of town. As well, the local Petroglyph Gallery sells prints, paintings, carvings, clothing and other Nuxalk and First Nations artwork and gifts, and visitors can book workshop visits with renowned up-and-coming local carver and hereditary chief Noel Pootlass.
In the Chilcotin, the Nazko lands are known for the work of celebrated Carrier First Nation artists (particularly with leather- and beadwork, watercolours, wood art, stained glass and cross-stitch). In the south, no fewer than 11 different communities make up the St’at’imc Nation (stat-lee-um), whose traditional territories were located in and around the ancient gathering place now known as Lillooet. Here, Xwisten (hoysh-ten) guides offer award-winning experiential tours that include guided walks along the banks of Fraser to view “fishing rocks” and the traditional wind-dried method of preserving salmon still practiced, with explorations of the extensive archaeological site’s 80 pit houses, dating back thousands of years.
Meanwhile, hikers with a historical bent traverse the ancient Nuxalk-Carrier Grease Trail, also known as the Alexander Mackenzie Heritage Trail. Three weeks are required to trace the entire route, but various sections can be accessed for shorter jaunts; the scenic 80km/50mi portion across Tweedsmuir Provincial Park reportedly takes less than a week. (For more detailed info, refer to the In the Steps of Alexander Mackenzie Heritage Trail Guidebook, found at popular bookstores and some visitor centres.) Some 100km/62mi northwest of Bella Coola in the wilds of the Great Bear Rainforest, Kitasoo-Xai’xais (kit-ah-soo-hay-hace) First Nation guides lead multi-day boat and kayak tours of this spectacular and remote area complete with lodge accommodations. In a vastly different landscape to the east, near Williams Lake, jet boats travel where roads can’t go: through rapids and past bizarre hoodoo rock formations as aboriginal guides share ancient knowledge about medicinal plants, flora and fauna and local lore during explorations of ancient village
The neighbouring Cayoose Creek Band offers interpretive walks of the Lower Seton spawning channel, while just five minutes from downtown, Lillooet is the site of a traditional s7istken (shesh-ken), or pit house, built by the T’it’q’et (teetqwet). Built from earth and timber, such structures usually housed up to 20 people and featured two entrances: one on ground level, one in the roof (which also released smoke from cooking fires). Also not to be missed is the Seton Lake Band’s Kaoham Shuttle: a travelling window into the past and a convenient way to view local wildlife, including bear, deer and bighorn sheep. The train is available on Friday, with a scheduled double run, as it skirts the shores of Seton Lake past numerous historical sites, including a First Nations cemetery balanced precariously between the tracks and crystalline shores of the lake. ◆ 1-800-663-5885
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