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The Ashcroft Indian Band
Alternative Name: Cornwall, Stlahl; Named After The Family Home Of C.R. Cornwall
Language: Nłeʔkepmxcín
Chief: Greg Blain
Contact the administration office at info@ashcroftband.ca
Phone: (250) 453-9154, fax: 1 (250) 453-9156
The Ashcroft Indian Band is a small First Nations band located in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The band is made up of approximately 200 members, many of whom still live on the band's reserve, known as the Ashcroft Indian Band.
The Ashcroft Indian Band has a long and rich history dating back to before contact with Europeans. According to oral tradition, the band's ancestors were some of the first people to inhabit the Southern Interior of British Columbia. The Ashcroft Indian Band was traditionally known as the Nlaka’pamux. The people of the AIB have lived in this area, along the shores of the Thompson River in the British Columbia Interior for 6000 years. The Nlaka'pamux primarily subsisted on venison and salmon, although roots and berries were collected by the women. They dressed in deerskins, and wore moccasins made of buckskins over socks made from sagebrush. Presently many members of the Ashcroft Indian Band still fish from the same areas as their ancestors. The Ashcroft Indian Band was created in 1881 when the government set aside land for a reserve near Ashcroft, British Columbia. Prior to this, the Nlaka'pamux people had no legal title to their traditional lands.
One of the traditional areas of the Ashcroft Indian Band is McLeans Lake. The Band still farms and hunts in the surrounding area of McLean's Lake. Historically, the Ashcroft Indian Band used to flee the summer heat and travel to McLean's Lake. The Ashcroft Indian Band received legal title to the property, but some time during the 1920s, authorities arbitrarily revoked it, giving half of McLean's Lake to a neighboring First Nations group, resulting in a lengthy ownership dispute.
In recent years, the Ashcroft Indian Band has been working hard to improve its economic and social situation. The band has successfully created a travel centre, employing their own members as well as nonindigenous peoples from their neighbouring communities of Ashcroft, and Cache Creek. Also recently completed, is The Chief Scotty Campground which employs a maintenance crew and has wonderful, new updated amenities situated by a new playground and two perfectly groomed ball diamonds.
The beautiful desert vistas, proximity, and the Travel Centre's services make it an ideal location for filming companies that contribute a significant amount of money to the region. For 15 years, a string of movies, TV shows, and commercials have filmed on Ashcroft Reserve, with members of Band being frequent extra help.
The Ashcroft Indian Band is a true testament of the Nlklap'mux peoples ability to persevere through trying times. The Elephant Hill Wildfire of 2017 destroyed much of their community and displaced several people. Despite this tragedy, the Ashcroft Indian Band has bounced back and is now thriving more than ever before. The Ashcroft Indian Band is a proud community that is steeped in rich culture and history and is definitely worth a visit.
Written and Researched By Brandy Cooper-Chardon
Sources:
https://www.bcafn.ca/first-nations-bc/thompson-okanagan/ashcroft-indian-band
http://www.ashcroftband.ca/content/our-history-amp-culture
https://wcln.ca/_LOR/course_files/SS11-FP/Idea1/1-2/traditionsnorththompson.pdf