The Secw茅pemc Landmarks Project made great strides in 2024 with the unveiling of two new sculptures to support cultural awareness.
In its March newsletter, Splatsin announced the recent additions to the project that took place last fall. In collaboration with various project partners, the Stelteglx煤s (Chase Creek Falls) sculpture made its debut on Sept. 27 with local leaders from the Cst茅lnec (Adams Lake Indian Band), Village of Chase, elders, community members and artisans from Secw茅pemc communities.
The unveiling marked the completion of recent trail upgrades that were designed to minimize impact on aquatic life by moving the path away from the creek bed, improve accessibility for people with mobility challenges, and enhance safety for future users.
A month later on Oct. 24, the Qw7awt was revealed along the shores of Quaaout Lodge, where Skwl膩x te Secw茅pemc Kukpi7 (Chief) James Tomma and the Tkwemiple7 (council) spoke about the significance of the language and the power of collaboration in creating unity.
Elders and youth unveiled the sculpture and lit the ceremonial fire, marking the moment of shared tradition and connection. Secw茅pemc artisan Tania Willard commented on how the site visits inspired the design of the sculpture, which draws from local plants, animals and history of the land. Willard's vision was for the pieces to be interactive, with each containing an element that can be lit by fire, propane or potentially solar power.
The Secw茅pemc Landmarks Project features close to 100 trailhead posts carved by nearly 200 area youth in 2021 and 2022, as well as 16 sculptures and interpretive panels that feature history, place names, culture and stories.
Five more sculptures will be unveiled this spring and summer, with more information to be released closer to those dates.
