DID YOU KNOW?
The entire west side of Vaseux Lake is a designated wildlife sanctuary known as the Vaseux-Bighorn National Wildlife Area (NWA) and the rest of the lake is called the Vaseux Lake Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Both regions are protected under the Species At Risk Act and the Canada Wildlife Act.
The west side wildlife reserve is currently home to over 30 species included on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act. An additional 19 species are tracked by the B.C. Conservation Data Centre as either red or blue listed. This region is only 1 of 10 NWAs in Canada because of its diverse list of species and ecosystems. Due to its unique location at the tip of the Nk’Mip Desert this semi-arid desert ecosystem is the ONLY one of its kind in Canada.
Vaseux Lake Stewardship’s primary mandate is to protect the lake, its ecosystems, and its biodiversity by promoting responsible use of the area which in turn supports the health of the ecosystem and its wildlife.
*****
The Vaseux Lake Stewardship Association respectfully acknowledges the Syilx People on whose unceded traditional territories our community resides.
What Do the Symbols Mean?
While the exact personal meanings belong to the original creators, elders, and researchers, these specific symbols are tied to the spiritual practices and cosmologies of the Interior Salish peoples: [1, 2]
- The Sun / Spiritual Power: The multi-rayed semi-circle and the upper figure featuring a rayed head strongly resemble sun motifs or depictions of powerful spiritual entities. The rays represent light, energy, and cosmic power. [1]
- Vision Quests: These rock faces serve as sacred sites where youths or shamans went on vision quests. During these solitary fasts in the mountains, they sought guidance from guardian spirits. The figures painted here are records of the dreams, visions, or spiritual guardians encountered during those ceremonies. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- The Medium (Red Ochre): The paintings were created using red ochre—a natural iron-oxide clay pigment harvested from local sacred sites like the Tulameen Ochre Bluffs. It was ground into a powder and mixed with an organic binding agent (such as animal fat or fish oil). Red is widely understood in Syilx culture as a highly spiritual color that bridges the physical and supernatural worlds. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
How Old Are They?
Because organic binders absorb deeply into the porous rock and form a protective natural silica coating over centuries, they cannot easily be carbon-dated with absolute certainty. However, regional archaeological estimates place the rock art in the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys to be between 500 and 2,000 years old. Some foundational sacred sites in the region date back as far as 4,000 years
For more information on the Sylix Okanagan Nation and the Okanagan Nation Alliance please visit their Website.