Honouring the Indigenous History of Christina Lake

Let us reflect on the deep, enduring connection of First Nations peoples to the land we now call Christina Lake.

We acknowledge that Skands Campground operates on the traditional, unceded territory of the snʕickstx tmxʷúlaʔxʷ (Sinixt), sx̌ʷyʔiɬp (Colville),  Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis,  Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla,  Syilx (Okanagan),  Ĩyãħé Nakón mąkóce (Stoney) peoples, whose presence here stretches back thousands of years. Long before European settlement, this land was home to a vibrant collection of tribes that thrived through fishing, hunting, gathering, and living in harmony with nature.

Sinixt Indigenous Pictographs on the rock wall in Christina Lake BC

The Sinixt (or sn̓ ʕay̓ ckstx) people, also known as the Arrow Lakes People, were the primary inhabitants of this area. Christina Lake, with its abundant fish and natural resources, was a vital site for the Sinixt and neighbouring tribes. Pictographs along the northeast lakeshore (below) still offer us a glimpse into their stories and ways of life, reminders of their deep connection to this land. The Kettle River and Cascade Falls nearby were also important gathering places for fishing and trade.

Pictographs along the northeast lakeshore provide evidence of their presence and offer a window into the stories they told and the rituals they performed. The Sinixt created pictographs using a mixture of natural pigments, often red ochre, combined with binding agents like fish eggs or bear grease. These artworks served various purposes, including storytelling, marking territory, and playing roles in cultural rituals, offering a glimpse into the lives and beliefs of the Sinixt people.

However, the arrival of European settlers and the establishment of the U.S.-Canada border in 1846 marked a profound disruption. The artificial boundary split the Sinixt people, separating them from their traditional fishing grounds and seasonal migration routes, which extended south into what is now Washington State. Many Sinixt were forced to relocate to the Colville Indian Reservation in the U.S., severing ties to their northern territory in British Columbia.

The challenges faced by the Sinixt did not end there. European colonization brought profound changes and challenges. In the 1800s, disease, particularly smallpox, swept through Indigenous communities, devastating their populations.

Adding to the devastation, the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam in the United States in the 1930s and 40s flooded key Sinixt fishing sites, such as Kettle Falls, cutting off access to the annual salmon runs that were central to their survival. Dams along the Columbia River further disrupted the natural ecology and obliterated many Indigenous villages and burial grounds, leaving a deep scar on the land and the people who once thrived along its banks.

In 1956, the Canadian government declared the Sinixt "extinct" within its borders, despite the fact that many of their descendants were still living—albeit in diaspora, primarily in Washington State on the Colville Indian Reservation. This legal extinction denied the Sinixt recognition in Canada, barring them from treaty negotiations and erasing their status under the Indian Act. Forced into diaspora, they continued their struggle to maintain cultural practices and care for their ancestral lands.

Researchers say that Sinixt Chief Edward, in this 1872 photo (left) sitting in the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, was the last hereditary Sinixt chief of the First Nation known for its sturgeon-nosed canoes. (Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture/Dr Karen Wonders)

On this National Truth and Reconciliation Day and every day, we honour the Sinixt and all Indigenous peoples whose lives and histories are woven into the fabric of the land we occupy known as Christina Lake.

We acknowledge the resilience, strength, and determination they’ve shown in the face of colonization, government policy, and industrial and environmental destruction.

We encourage everyone to learn more about this rich history and reflect on how we can all contribute to telling the historical truths of our Indigenous brothers and sisters and make right the errors of our ancestors.