Secwepemc Museum

: Credit: Secwepemc Museum

: Credit: Secwepemc Museum

: Credit: Secwepemc Museum

The Secwepemc Museum & Heritage Park has been established since August of 1982. After the 17-Shuswap Chiefs signed a declaration to work on protecting, enhancing, recording and preserving our Secwepemc Culture. The Museum has 4-galleries that have photographs, illustrations, artifacts that displays of our culture. It has a full gallery of archaeological remains dating back to over 6000 yrs. It also has an outdoor historical village site right adjacent to the Museum with trails leading you through its ethno botanical gardens and underground winter pit-homes of our Secwepemc people.

The Shuswap Nation (Secwepemc People) is part of the Salish speaking Indians of the Interior of British Columbia. The Nation is situated on the Plateau as indicated in the history books. We have 17-Shuswap bands spanning approximately 180,000 kilometers within our traditional territory. Before the first small pox epidemic hit here in 1862 we had over 30 member bands. The epidemic wiped out ¾ of the Nation, leaving the remaining 17-bands today.

We offer three types of tours: (A) Museum & Heritage Park. (B) Residential School Tour. (C) A walk thru the ethno botanical gardens where groups will get a better look at the history of the plants for food, medicine and tools and technology. Tours are tailored to the interests of the group combined with traditional hand drumming, songs and story telling.

The Secwepemc Museum displays and exhibits incorporate the oral history and legends of the Secwepemc people, along with historical photographs, illustrations and artifacts.

The adjacent historical heritage park extends into a 5-hectare historical pit-home site of the Secwepemc people on the South Thompson River. More than a kilometer of trails lead visitors through the archaeological site of the 2,000 year old Secwepemc winter village site, which features reconstructed winter pit-houses.

Also located within the Heritage Park, is our unique Ethno botanical Gardens, which feature informative markers about the traditional use of plants and their value.

The Museum is located at 200-355 Yellow head Hwy. Kamloops. We are situated adjacent the beautiful south Thompson River. The grounds are called the Chief Louis Center, now owned by the Kamloops Indian Band where the site was once the Kamloops Indian Residential School.

We are open Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM for winter hours. Summer Hours are from April to September labor day the Museum is open 7-days a week, except statutory holidays.

Please visit us at: www.secwepemcmuseum.com for more information.