Education and the Secwepemc People

The Secwepemc people who are also none as the Shuswap, are a collection of 17 tribes who live in the Province of British Columbia in Canada.  They are a very ancient people and in fact ancestors can be traced back to the interior of British Columbia for over nine thousand years.  When they first encountered the Europeans the combined land of these people covered over 56,000 square miles.  Although the 17 groups were independent they had a political alliance to share land and resources between each other when required.

The Secwepemc people were semi nomadic and spent their winters in underground pit houses and more traditional lodges in the summer.  They survived as many natives did by hunting, fishing and trading, the traditional diet was  thus based on nuts, berries, meat and fish primarily.  Their whole way of life though has become under increasing threat over the centuries from the outsiders who settled in their land.  In fact in the late 19th century it was estimated there were barely 7200 citizens left.

It has long been identified that in order to preserve the proud heritage of the Secwepemc people that they needed to improve the level of education in order to adapt to the new world they now inhabited.  Education was seen as vital to rebuilt the nation.  Initiatives like the SCES (Secwepemc Cultural Education Society) have improved greatly the level of education ans sophistication of a majority of the nation.  There has been great effort in producing places where the students can learn in a suitable environment.  These are called ”Lleqmellcw” which literally means places to learn – like minded students can access resources that facilitate learning.  From internet access where they can access global media like the New York Times and even watch BBC IPlayer from anywhere to books and access to many other educational resources.

Education has allowed their numbers to grow and thrive, and now in the 21st century – the nation is as strong as ever.