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Lil'wat Nation

  • CA-BC-LIL-001
  • Family
  • [at least 3500 BCE]-

The Lil'wat Nation (in Lillooet: líl̓watǝmx), also known as Lil̓wat7úl or the Mount Currie Indian Band, is a people and ancestral territory located in the southern Coast Mountains region of British Columbia, including the lands of the towns of Whistler, Pemberton, and Mount Currie, as well as others in the Sea to Sky area. Their traditional territory extends south to Rubble Creek, north to Gates Lake, east to the Upper Stein Valley, and west to the coastal inlets of the Pacific Ocean. An interior Salish people, the Lil̓wat7úl have called their territory home since time immemorial; Líl̓wat artifacts dating back to 5,500 BC have been found from the Stein Valley to Bishop-Bridge and all the lands in between. For millennia, the people enjoyed an economy based on trade between other First Nations. Organized in extended family groupings, the Lil̓wat7úl wintered in villages consisting of clustered s7ístkens, semi-subterranean “pit houses.” In temperate months, life was lived outside, with fishing, hunting, and gathering making up days as they travelled from coastal inlets to deep into the rainforest. The connection with the land was both economic and spiritual, with the Lil̓wat7úl prizing a harmonious relationship with nature - a value that remains strong today. The first contact the Lil̓wat7úl had with Europeans was in 1793, when Alexander Mackenzie made his overland journey to the Pacific Ocean. Over the next two centuries, traders, miners and settlers arrived in Líl̓wat Territory. As the colony of British Columbia prospered, the Lil̓wat7úl, like other First people, were systematically stripped of their lands, rights, and resources. Eventually, the people were restricted to 10 tiny reserves totalling 2,930 ha., or 0.004 percent of Líl̓wat Traditional Territory. During the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858, tens of thousands of miners and others poured up the Lillooet River system from Harrison Lake to get to the Fraser at what is now the town of Lillooet. The Lil'wat engaged as canoemen and porters during the heyday of what was known as the Douglas Road, a.k.a. the Lillooet Trail, but after the gold rush, all non-native settlement disappeared from the valley until the late 1870s, when John Currie homesteaded on land adjacent to the Mount Currie reserve; the mountain overlooking the site was named after him, and the reserve and townsite (Mount Currie, BC) that grew up around it were named for the mountain. Currie married the then-chief's daughter and, with them, helped with the construction of the Lillooet Cattle Trail. He hired his in-laws to work on his ranch and also on a couple of (unsuccessful) cattle drives on the Pemberton Trail to Squamish. The Líl̓wat Nation is one of 78 First Nations in British Columbia that chose not to participate in the BC Treaty Commission proceeds. In 1911, the Lil̓wat7úl joined other St̓át̓y̓emc nations in signing The Lillooet Declaration at Spences Bridge. The document outlined the nations’ demands for the reinstatement of their rights to their traditional lands. Signed by a committee of First Nations chiefs, the document asserts sovereignty over traditional territories and protests the theft of First Nations lands. In 1927, the Canadian government made it illegal for First Nations people to organize against the Crown for recognition of their rights to the land. In 1975, the Líl̓wat led a successful protest to protect their fishing rights. Soon after, protests were organized to address the issues of sacred heritage site destruction and clear-cutting of forests on Líl̓wat Traditional Territory. Other First Nations and environmental groups joined Líl̓wat Nation in 1989 to work on the “Save The Stein” initiative. The action culminated in a concert with Canadian artists Bruce Cockburn, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Gordon Lightfoot. The concerts also featured an appearance by world renowned environmental activist Dr. David Suzuki. As a result, the Stein River Watershed, in its entirety, was protected. Twenty years later, it remains an impressive expanse of pristine rainforest. Protecting Mkwalcs (Ure Creek) was a hard-fought victory, one that saw roadblocks by, and arrests of, people who were desperate to save land being destroyed by clear-cut logging. The potential fall-out from this forestry practice was extremely serious; herbicide and pesticides used in clear-cutting would contaminate food sources. Salmon stocks were being threatened by the presence of PCBs stored near the Birkenhead River. In 1990, a roadblock was set up on the Duffy Lake Road, which made it impossible for logging trucks to come in and take trees from the area. The province eventually obtained an injunction against the roadblock. Sixty-three Lil̓wat7úl were subsequently arrested, charged, and imprisoned pending trial. The roadblock was dismantled. The courts refused to hear the activists’ sovereignty defense. In 1991, a second blockade was set-up near sacred burial sites on the far side of Lillooet Lake. Today, Mkwalcs is now a conservancy, with the Líl̓wat having “won” protection of this area, including the prohibition of planned commercial activities including logging and power projects. Conservancies have also been established in the Upper Soo and Twin Two. As the Nation gains more control of its lands and resources, greater economic opportunities are emerging. Independent power plants (IPPs) and forestry partnerships that respect the values of the Lil̓wat7úl people and fit with the Líl̓wat Nation̓s vision are a priority. With the signing of a 2002 Legacy Agreement, Líl̓wat joined Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish as one of the Four Host First Nations of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The Líl̓wat Nation was an important partner in building many Olympic venues, which they now co-own through Whistler Sports Legacies. As well, the Olympics provided an opportunity for Lil̓wat7úl culture to be on the world stage with Lil̓wat7úl leadership and dancers opening The Games. In 2005, The Líl̓wat signed forest and range agreement with the provincial government to provide jobs and revenues from the nation’s forests. Shortly after that, an agreement was entered into with the Squamish Nation to build the Squamish Líl̓wat Cultural Centre in the worldwide ski destination and resort town of Whistler. The cultural centre tells the story of the area's people and land from the Squamish and Líl̓wat perspectives respectively. Today, Líl̓wat continues to move towards the goal of self-determination, creating economic and educational opportunities for the community. The Lil'wat Nation is a member of the Lillooet Tribal Council, which is the largest grouping of band governments of the St'at'imc or Stl'atl'imx people (also known as the Lillooet People). Other St'at'imc governments include the smaller In-SHUCK-ch Nation on the lower Lillooet River to the southwest, and the independent N'quatqua First Nation at the near end of Anderson Lake from Mount Currie, which is the main reserve of the Lil'wat First Nation. The majority of Lílwat7úl live near Mount Currie, known asT'szil in Uclwalmicwts, the language of the Lílwat7úl.

Jardine-Neiland Family

  • CA-BC-JNF001
  • Family
  • May 2, 1922 -

The Jardine-Neiland family is the amalgamated family of the Jardines and the Neilands, which came about when Thomas Neiland Sr. married Lizzie Jardine after the passing of her first husband and good friend of Neiland, John Alexander Jardine. Lizzie already had three children (Jenny Jardine, Jack Jardine, and Bob Jardine), and had one more with Neiland (Thomas Neiland Jr.). Lizzie found work keeping house for her husband’s old friend, Thomas Neiland Sr., in North Vancouver after her husband's death. Tom worked for the PGE railway as a conductor, but he had always had dreams of working for himself. He bought some land and, in May 1921, moved the whole family up to Alta Lake (known today as Whistler) to start his own logging camp. Lizzie and Tom were married on May 2, 1922. This marriage was of huge financial significance to the Jardine family, as Lizzie lost her widow’s pension of $35 a month - a significant sum at the time. At first, the family lived at the Alta Lake townsite, but in January 1922, they moved down to Thomas Neiland’s first venture at Alpha Lake, where he was harvesting cedar logs to be exported to Japan. In July 1922, the export log prices of cedar logs collapsed, and so did Thomas Neiland’s business; he had to file for bankruptcy. The family moved back to North Vancouver. Later that month, Lizzie gave birth to their son, Thomas Neiland Jr., at the age of 40. For three months, Thomas Sr. looked for work in Vancouver. Eventually persuaded by both a lack of employment and his wife’s desire to return to Alta Lake, he gained financing under her name. The family returned to their Alpha Lake cabin, and in 1923 they moved into an old loggers cabin at 34½ mile (present day Function Junction area) that was being sold by the crown, and this became the family's home for the next 20 or so years.

Betts-Smith, Louise Mary

  • CA-BC-BLM001
  • Family
  • 1938-

Louise Betts was born in Vancouver in 1938 to parents Janet and Wallace Betts, who had met in the Function Junction area near Whistler. Louise married Alfred Smith in 1956 and they had three children.

Miller, Jennifer

  • CA-BC-MJ004
  • Family
  • fl. 2001-present

Jennifer Miller was the editor of Whistler the Magazine and the Whistler Question from 2010 to 2012.

Simons, Rosalind

  • CA-BC-SR001
  • Family
  • b. c. 1968 fl. 1980

Rosalind Simons attended the third session of the Toni Sailer Summer Ski Camp in 1980.