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18-585: The Nicola Athapaskans , also known as the Nicola people or Stuwix , were an Athabascan people who migrated into the Nicola Country of what is now the Southern Interior of British Columbia from the north a few centuries ago but were slowly reduced in number by constant raiding from peoples from outside the valley (mostly Secwepemc ), with the survivors, the last of whom lived near Nicola Lake , assimilated to

36-614: A Chinookan group who had travelled up the Columbia River to escape bad neighbours there, finally finding refuge up the Okanagan River and beyond the upper Similkameen around Nicola Lake . Nicola Country The Nicola Country is roughly synonymous with the basin of the Nicola River , but unlike other similar region-names in BC was not named for the river. Rather, both were named as

54-581: A handful survived. Very little is known of them as by the mid-19th century they were nearly extinct due to constant raiding by Thompson and Shuswap from outside the valley, and their surviving members were largely absorbed by the surrounding Scw'exmx , a branch of the Thompson people by the time of European contact, and also partly by the Spaxomin , a branch of the Okanagan people also in the valley who are also known as

72-489: A result of this region being the territory under the rule of Nicola ( Hwistesmexteqen ), the most prominent and influential of the chiefs of the Nicola people , who like the river and region were named for the chief, i.e. "Nicola's people". Nicola was the son of Pelkamulox, an Okanagan chief who, at the invitation of Kwa'lila, the Secwepemc chief of Kamloops, settled in the valley to escape harassment at his former domicile at

90-770: Is Merritt . Also of note in the region is the Douglas Lake Ranch , one of the world's largest ranches. Its headquarters is north and east of Merritt at Douglas Lake but whose lands span most of the Thompson Plateau and also country beyond it to the northeast in the Shuswap Highland and to the north in the Bonaparate Plateau. Located in the rainshadow of the Canadian Cascades and the Lillooet Ranges of

108-465: Is the only indigenous name that exists for them, stuwix ("strangers"), as their own language, known as Nicola , did not survive and very little is known about it, as only a very little was recorded before it became extinct. At one time the Stuwix had also lived in the upper Similkameen and are credited by historian Mark S. Wade as being the first known inhabitants of that area until they were driven out by

126-566: The Coast Mountains , the climate of the Nicola Country is dry and, in summers, quite hot. Due to a higher elevation than surrounding basins, it tends to be cooler than Kamloops, the Okanagan, the Shuswap or the lower Thompson areas. Vegetation in lower elevations tends towards sagebrush and open pine and deciduous, with high-elevation areas thick with coniferous forest. Wildlife is abundant, and

144-574: The Secwepemc and Nlaka'pamux peoples of that area, the Thompson Canyon, after journeying south to get away from "bad neighbours". At first in conflict with the Nlaka'pamux, peaceful terms were come to and they were invited to settle in the area of Nicola Lake and the upper Similkameen Country and lived alongside the valley's mix of Okanagan and Nlaka'pamux -speaking groups. The latter's name for them

162-627: The Thompson , Thompson River Salish , Thompson Salish , Thompson River Indians or Thompson River people , and historically as the Klackarpun , Haukamaugh , Knife Indians , and Couteau Indians , are an Indigenous First Nations people of the Interior Salish language group in southern British Columbia . Their traditional territory includes parts of the North Cascades region of Washington . Frontier-era histories and maps transliterate

180-640: The Thompson language . Together with the Spaxomin people, a branch of the Okanagan people (Syilx) who live in the upper Nicola valley and also belong to the Nicola Tribal Association, they are collectively known as the Nicola people, or Nicolas. Blueberries ( Vaccinium myrtilloides ) are traditionally used by them in pies. They have used the leaves of sedge ( Carex ) as brushes for cleaning and also as forage for their livestock. The Nlakaʼpamux were

198-723: The timber rattler is present in the region. 50°05′42″N 120°34′34″W  /  50.095°N 120.576°W  / 50.095; -120.576 This article about a location in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District , Canada is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This First Nations in Canada –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Nlaka%27pamux The Nlakaʼpamux or Nlakapamuk ( / ɪ ŋ k l ə ˈ k æ p m ə / ing-klə- KAP -mə ; Salishan: [nɬeʔképmx] ), also previously known as

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216-562: The Scw'exmx-Syilx Nicola people by the end of the 19th century. The term Nicola for them is a misnomer , though a common one used by ethnologists and linguists - it commemorates a famous Okanagan chief who once held sway over the valley and its peoples as well as over the Kamloops Shuswap ). First appearing in the Bonaparte River valley and at Spences Bridge, they came into conflict with

234-726: The Spahomin Band. Some family lines are thought to survive among the Scwe'exmx, and a handful of placenames in the Merritt - Princeton area are believed to be from their language, which some linguists believe may be closely related to, or simply a dialect of, the Chilcotin language . Although the anthropological and linguistic consensus is that the Nicola people were Athapaskan, an account in Okanagan Mourning Dove 's writings says that they were

252-484: The group today constituted as the Upper Similkameen Indian Band and retreating to the area of Douglas, Stump and Nicola Lakes, where they were sheltered by Chief Nicola and the Scw'exmx and Spaxomin who lived under his rule. Despite friendly relations with their immediate neighbours, they were subject to repeated raids by hostile tribes, notably the Secwepemc (Shuswap) and by the later 19th century only

270-503: The head of Okanagan Lake and founded there the joint community of Okanagans and Nlaka'pamux known as the Nicola people and whose government is the Nicola Tribal Association , and at one time included members of the now-extinct "Stuwix" or Nicola Athapaskans . Other than the several First Nations reserves in the Nicola Country, there are a number of small non-indigenous settlements. The area's only significant and largest town

288-579: The name Nlakaʼpamux as Hakamaugh or Klackarpun ; they were also known as the Kootomin , or Couteau (Knife). or Knife Indians . In the dialect of the Thompson language used by the Ashcroft Indian Band , the variant Nlʼakapxm is used. The Nlakaʼpamux of the Nicola Valley , who are all in the Nicola Tribal Association reserves refer to themselves as Scwʼexmx and speak a different dialect of

306-540: The object of both Anglican and Roman Catholic missionary efforts in the nineteenth century, resulting in the vast majority belonging to one of the two denominations by the beginning of the twentieth century. The Nlakaʼpamux Nation Tribal Council despite its name does not include all Nlakaʼpamux people, but is one of two main tribal bodies within the region, the other being the Nicola Tribal Association . The Lytton First Nation or Lytton Band, focussed on

324-659: The town of the same name, which is named Camchin or Kumsheen in the Nlakaʼpamux language and is one of the largest Nlakaʼpamux communities, does not belong to any of the three tribal associations. While the Upper Nicola Band is affiliated with the Scwʼexmx Tribal Council it is a Syilx community and part of the Okanagan Nation Alliance it is not Nlakaʼpamux and has a different traditional territory than

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