Tse’k’wa Heritage Site hosts National Indigenous Peoples’ Day gathering

CHARLIE LAKE, B.C. — On a picturesque summer day, the Tse’k’wa Heritage Society welcomed the public for a gathering against the backdrop of National Indigenous Peoples’ Day on June 21st.

The site is one of the only Indigenous-owned and managed heritage sites nationwide, and the heritage society is a collaboration between Doig River, West Moberly, and Prophet River First Nations. 

Members of the Doig River First Nations held a drum ceremony against the backdrop of the newly installed ampitheatre, which highlighted their continuing connection to Tse’k’wa cave. The cave is believed to have been a gathering place for the Dane-zaa people for 12,000 years.

For Garry Oker, a former councillor of Doig River and currently assisting the First Nation on special creative projects, this was a chance for him to showcase the story to people of all generations, including a group of schoolchildren from nearby Charlie Lake Elementary School.

Oker spoke of the importance of continuing to tell the story of the Dane-zaa people who were once here.

“A lot of people showed up today,” said Oker.  “Especially on National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, one of the best days to share.”

“It’s really a celebration of our culture. To let people know, we still remember the songs, the language, and the stories.  To empower the younger people to be better.”

 “Just by working together really demonstrates the collaboration that has to happen. The whole community, everybody’s got to come together.”

For some attendees, the festivities, which included a walk along the newly installed trails and signage leading up to the cave, were a full circle moment.

Tiffany Hetenyi told energeticcity.ca about the travels up to the cave as a child with her father and sisters.

“We used to park at the bottom and work our way up through the trees,” said Hetenyi. “It’s nice to come back and see there was a story behind it. It looked important at the time, but we didn’t know how important that story was.”

Christy Jones, an educational assistant with Charlie Lake Elementary, recalls coming to the cave as a child, having lived north of the location.

“I remember archeologists were digging around the site, and they let us have some fun in the dirt,” said Jones. 

A noted highlight was the display featuring the findings of the archeological field school which took place at Tse’k’wa, part of a five-year agreement between the society and the University of Northern British Columbia.

The first since 2022, this class attracted four members, but plenty was able to be found, says Dr. Farid Rahemutella, who instructed the students. 

According to him, the sites where digs took place throughout the eight-week course were based on surveys conducted last summer.

Rahemutella says one of the most significant finds was the discovery of hundreds of microblades and obsidian, a volcanic ash. He says this shows the sophistication of ancient trading networks.   

“We wanted to know where the hot spots were,” said Rahemutella. “It’s quite unique in terms of sites known in northern B.C.  Not saying that it wasn’t known, but it was fascinating to see many [microblades] in one place.”

More details about Tse’k’wa can be found on their website.