In western Canada, the Secwépemc people built an extraordinarily successful and expansive civilization. At the same time the Mesopotamians and the ancient Egyptians were making history in another part of the world, the Secwépemc were thriving in their homeland, and they left behind an archaeological legacy that has turned out to be more expansive and significant than anyone could have imagined. Following the landslide and subsequent release of the Chilcotin River (traditionally known as Pesxenmétkwe) in July and August of 2024, two peoples directly descended from the ancient Secwépemc, the Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) and the Esk’etemc, completed the first phase of an extensive cultural heritage study designed to identify and protect all the Secwépemc sites that can still
