Survey in British Columbia Reveals Dozens of First Nations Sites

FARWELL CANYON, CANADA­­—In 2024, a landslide along the Chilcotin River in British Columbia caused extensive damage to the ancestral home of the Secwépemc Nation. A new archaeological and cultural heritage survey of the area seeking to assess the damage to historical sites revealed previously unknown ancient villages and has shed new light on the Secwépmec communities’ long connection with the land, according to a statement released by Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN). The region has long been known to be the location of the four principal Secwépemc villages, including Tecwilúps, Nexelp, and Kwomesken’s Village. Surprisingly, however, the survey identified 70 additional archaeological sites spanning 4,000 years, including 31 pre-contact villages. Seven of these contained sacred use features, such as burials, caves, and rock art, as well as millennia-old houses. “These pit houses are older than the pyramids!” said WLFN’s Whitney Spearing. “It’s incredible that we’re still uncovering new insights about the communities that thrived here for thousands of years.” The settlers in the canyon, collectively known as Ste’tlemc, were a dominant trading force within the Secwépemc Nation, and thrived in the area until the 1860s, when a smallpox outbreak devastated the settlements and forced its populations to flee. To read more about archaeological traces of Canada's First Nations, go to "The Edible Seascape."