X for Xat'sull Heritage Village

ABC Wednesday
December 23rd, 2015

The letter is X for Xat'sull Heritage Village

The Xat'sull (Hat'sull) First Nation community invites you to visit the Xat'sull Heritage Village.

Located in the Cariboo on the banks above the mighty Fraser River (the river which has played such an integral role in the life of the region), the Xat'sull is the most northern Shuswap tribe of the Seewqeperine Nation.

They followed a hunting and gathering lifestyle centered in family groups and focused on the River and the salmon.   In the winter they prepared for spring time excursions to gather staples and handicraft materials.  In the summer it was a time to gather roots and to anticipate the arrival of the great Chinook salmon, and after that the Sockeye.  The time for reaping the harvest had begun, and with drying racks and the collection of berries life along the river became alive again.

The fall was the time for hunters to test their skills and accuracy.  They hunted in the Cariboo mountains, families spreading out, preferring different areas,  rotating their hunting and practising a management which strengthened their culture and maintained a harmonious relationship with the land.

This  spiritual, cultural and traditional way of life of this community can be experienced in this National Award Winning Heritage Village through visiting with the Elders, and taking part in tours, educational and recreational activities.

There is overnight accommodation in either a Tepee

or a pit house (kikule house) which was the traditional home of the Xat'sull.

There are demonstrations of crafts, sweat houses, for cleansing of the body, mind, and spirit, a summer hut, a picnic area, an opportunity to share a meal, dancing and celebrations.

A wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in the old ways of British Columbia, before the Europeans arrived. and I understand the hospitality is great!

You know how to get to Williams Lake (from the previous posting for W) and just a few miles from there you will find this great Heritage Village.

If you click here you will also find other great Xs, at ABC Wednesday, with thanks to Denise, Roger and all their eXpert helpers.

X, you will remember, is also a monogram of Christ,

 and a perfectly acceptable way to write Christmas, 

so I will wish you all much love, and peace, and the merriest of  Xmases.