Chilcotin Country
Tŝilhqóx / Nen "Ochre River"/"Land" | |
---|---|
People | Nenqayni[1] (Tŝilhqotʼin) |
Language | Nenqayni Ch'ih (Tŝilhqotʼin Chʼih) |
Country | Tŝilhqotʼin Nen |
The Chilcotin (
The Chilcotin district is often viewed as an extension of the
Geography
The Chilcotin district is mostly a wide, high plateau, stretching from the mountains to the
The forested plateau area just northeast of the park, between the Chilko River and Taseko Rivers, is known as the Brittany Triangle and is currently under hot dispute between preservationists and logging interests. East of the Tsʼilʔos Provincial Park is Big Creek Provincial Park and the Churn Creek Protected Area, while to the southeast is the Spruce Lake Protected Area aka "the South Chilcotin", which despite its nickname is mostly in the Bridge River Country, part of the Lillooet Country and not part of the Chilcotin Country, which begins at the protected area's northern and northwestern borders.
Literary contributions
Despite its small population and isolation, the region has produced a small but very readable literature mixing naturalism with native and settler cultures and memoirs. The most well-known Chilcotin authors are
Another notable book from more recent times are Chiwid by Sage Birchwater of Tatlayoko Lake, documenting eyewitness reminiscences of a First Nations eccentric-cum-spirit person, Lilly Skinner, and Nemaia: the Unconquered Country by Terry Glavin, which recounts the story of the Chilcotin War of 1864 and the flavour of the Nemaia Valley today (the Nemaia is the main residence of the Xeni Gwetin, who were the main instigators of the war).
Edwards's cabin, and the trumpeter habitat, are world heritage sites although his cabin was burned out in large forest fires in the summer of 2004.
Another Chilcotin author is Ted "Chilco" Choate, a hunting guide at Gaspard Lake in the southeastern part of the district who writes about animals, hunters and the wilderness lifestyle. Choate is one of the main advocates for combining the Tweedsmuir, Tsʼilʔos, Spruce Lake/South Chilcotin, Big Creek and Churn Creek wilderness areas into one large national park spanning the Coast Mountains and plateau between the Fraser and the spine of the Coast Mountains.
Wild horses
The Chilcotin is also known for its large population of
Still "controlled" today due to their competition for forage with cattle herds, they were once so overpopulated — even before put into competition with the feed demands of large-scale ranching — that a high bounty was set on them and they were hunted out, and nearly exterminated. They are believed to be stock brought in during gold rush times, as according to contemporary records the Chilcotins did not have horses until then. Author and guide-outfitter Chilco Choate, however, points out that forage patterns and the adaptation of the breed to the area, it is more likely that they entered the area, already wild prior to domestication by local natives and being perhaps offshoots of the large horseherds acquired by the
The area is accessed by
Settlements and towns
The largest towns in the Chilcotin are
The Gang Ranch
Also of major importance in the Chilcotin is the
Similar ranching conditions are found from the
References
- ^ Pallarés, Paula Laita (2021). Indigenous Language Revitalization in British Columbia: Yuneŝit’in strategies for Nenqayni ch’ih or the Tŝilhqot’in language (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU. Retrieved 29 Oct 2023.
- ^ The Canadian Press (2017), The Canadian Press Stylebook (18th ed.), Toronto: The Canadian Press
- ^ "Lands & Resources". Tsilhqot'in Nation. Tsilhqot'in National Government. Retrieved 29 October 2023.