Secwepemc Chief celebrates his people’s tenacity on eve of Canada 150
KAMLOOPS — 150 years ago Canada became a nation, but for millennia before colonial settlers arrived from Europe, the indigenous people called the vast continent of North America home. Here in the interior of British Columbia, there’s evidence the Secwepemc people have lived for close to 10,000 years. Adam Donnelly caught up with Skeetchestn Indian Band Chief Ron Ignace today up at Pipsell – the Secwepemc name for Jacko Lake – to talk about what Canada’s sesquicentennial means to the indigenous people of the region.
On Saturday, Canadians across the country and around the world will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of Confederation. Compared to how long the original human inhabitants of this land have been here, 150 years seems like no time at all.
“To talk about 10,000 years of Shuswap history on the land, compounded by 150 years of colonial oppression and dispossession is a challenge,” Skeetchestn Kukpi Ron Ignace explained.