Lillooet, a name meaning "wild onion" or "end of the trail" and once applied only to the lower division of the tribe. The Lillooet exhibited marked characteristics of Northwest Coast culture.
Location Most Lillooets lived traditionally and continue to live in southwest British Columbia, Canada.
Population The eighteenth-century population of approximately 4,000 has recently been exceeded (about 4,500 in 1995).
Language Lillooet is an Interior Salish language.
Historical Information
History Indian groups of the Plateau, including Interior Salishan speakers, have been living in their historic regions for a long time, probably upward of 9,000 years. Early (circa 1809) intercourse with non-native traders was generally friendly, although some non-native diseases had struck the people even before the beginning of the actual contact period. The people were able to live in a relatively traditional way until they were devastated by smallpox epidemics accompanying the gold rushes of the mid-nineteenth century. To make matters worse, famine followed the disease epidemics, striking with particular severity in the mid-1860s. Survivors gradually resettled on reserves delineated by the government of British Columbia.
Religion Special guardian spirits helped shamans cure and recover lost souls. Carved wooden masks representing mythological clan ancestors were displayed at clan dances.
Government Lillooets were organized into upper and lower divisions, with each division composed of named bands of one or more villages. In aboriginal times, each village represented a single clan with one hereditary chief. Other leaders included war chiefs, hunting chiefs, orators, and wealthy and generous men.
Customs Adolescents prepared for adulthood by fasting and engaging in feats of physical endurance. They also sought guardian spirits through vision quests or dreams to give them luck and skills. Girls were isolated at the time of their first menstrual periods. Like coastal groups, the Lillooet observed a caste system and kept slaves. Potlatches commemorated special life-cycle events, at which the host enhanced his prestige by giving away gifts. The dead were wrapped in woven grass or fur robes and placed in painted grave boxes or in bark- or mat-lined graves. Graves were often marked with mortuary poles carved with clan totems (spirit and mythological associates).
Dwellings Men built circular winter lodges of cedar bark and earth on a wood frame. Lodges were excavated to a depth of around 6 feet and ranged between about 20 and 35 feet in diameter. The floor was covered with spruce boughs. The clan totem was carved on the center pole or on an outside pole (lower division). Larger log and plank dwellings housed between four and eight families. Oblong or conical mat-covered houses served as shelter in summer.
Diet Salmon and other fish were the food staples. Men hunted both large and small game, including bear, beaver, rabbit, raccoon, and mountain goat. Hunters rubbed themselves with twigs to disguise their human scent. Women gathered assorted roots and berries and dried the foods for storage.
Key Technology The basic raw materials were bark, tule, and wood in addition to skins and other animal parts. Fishing equipment included nets, weirs, spears, and traps. Men, sometimes assisted by dogs, hunted with bow and arrow, traps, deadfalls, and snares. Many items and utensils were carved from wood. Bags were of bark, twined grasses, or skin. Digging sticks were made of sheep horn or deer antler.
Trade The Lillooet were great traders in the lower Fraser River region. They served as the main intermediary for coastal trade. Exports included animal skins, cedar bark, berries, hemp, and goat’s wool. Imports included sea products, especially shells and salmon, as well as dugout canoes and slaves.
Notable Arts Men were known for their skill at wood carving. Stone, often soapstone, was also carved for artistic purposes, most often in the shape of a seated person holding a bowl. Women decorated clothing with porcupine quillwork. They also made excellent coiled baskets decorated with geometric motifs and colorful dyes.
Transportation People used both bark and cedar dugout canoes to navigate local waterways. They used snowshoes for winter travel. Most Interior Salish people acquired horses in the mid-eighteenth century.
Dress Most clothing was made from cedar bark or skins. Men wore deerskin breechclouts in summer and added skin leggings and short shirts in winter. Women probably wore wraparound skirts, plus leggings in winter. Moccasins were generally plain. Some people used thongs to tie pieces of fur or hide to their feet. Women wove robes of rabbit skin or goat wool. Personal decorations included dentalium shell ornaments and face paint. Men wore long looped necklaces, often decorated with abalone shell. Women tended to wear abalone in their braids and tattoo their wrists and arms.
War and Weapons Lillooets fought with Thompsons and other Salish groups. Defensive equipment included armor of elk skin or rods as well as large shields.
Contemporary Information
Government/Reservations See "Daily Life" for profiles of contemporary Lillooet bands (all statistics are as of 1995).
Economy Economic activities center around forestry, fishing, hay ranching, and land development.
Legal Status The bands described under "Daily Life" are federally and provincially recognized.
Daily Life Anderson Lake Band controls 804 hectares of land at the head of Anderson Lake. The reserve was established in 1881. The population is 213, of whom 134 live on the reserve. Elections are held under the provisions of the Indian Act, and the band is affiliated with the Coast Mountain Development Council. Children attend provincial schools. Important economic activities and resources include a campsite, a boat launch, a fast food restaurant, an investment corporation, logging, a sawmill, and a fish factory. Facilities include offices, a community hall, and a church.
Bridge River Band controls three reserves on 3,940 hectares of land. The reserve was established in 1881. The population is 303, of whom 111 live on the reserve. Elections are held under the provisions of the Indian Act, and the band is affiliated with the Lillooet Tribal Council. Children attend band and provincial schools. Important economic activities and resources include forestry management and a hay cooperative. Facilities include offices, a community hall, and a garage.
Cayoose Creek Band controls three reserves on 687 hectares of land near the town of Lillooet. The reserve was established in 1881. The population is 150, of whom 85 live on the reserves. Elections are held by custom, and the band is affiliated with the Lillooet Tribal Council. Children attend band and provincial schools. Important economic activities and resources include a partnership in Lillooet Salish Enterprise, ranching, arts and crafts, and forestry. Facilities include offices and a church.
Fountain Band controls 17 reserves on 1,572 hectares of land north of the town of Lillooet. The population is 706, of whom 489 live in 82 houses on the reserves. Elections are held by custom, and the band is currently unaffiliated. Children attend band and provincial schools. Important economic activities and resources include ranching, arts and crafts, forestry, and a small boat factory. Facilities include offices, a community hall, a day care center, and a church.
Lillooet Band, formerly part of the Fraser River Band, controls six reserves on 700 hectares of land west of the town of Lillooet. The population is 290, of whom 163 live in 44 houses on the reserve. Elections are held by custom, and the band is affiliated with the Lillooet Tribal Council. Children attend band and provincial schools. Important economic activities and resources include land leases and commercial property rentals. Facilities include offices, a community hall, a recreation center, a kindergarten, and a church.
Mount Curie Band controls ten reserves on 2,929 hectares of land 6 miles south of Pemberton. The population is 1,515, of whom 1,053 live in 276 houses on the reserves. Elections are held under the provisions of the Indian Act. Children attend band and provincial schools. The Mount Curie Band has instituted a five-year economic development plan that includes agriculture, forestry, and tourism. Facilities include offices, a community hall, and a group home.
Pavilion Band controls seven reserves on 1,112 hectares of land north of the town of Lillooet. The reserves were established in 1861. The population is 380, of whom 253 live in 43 houses on the reserves. Elections are held by custom, and the band is affiliated with the Lillooet Tribal Council. Children attend band and provincial schools. Important economic activities and resources include a limestone plant and small businesses. Facilities include offices, a recreation center, and a church.
Samahquam Band controls five reserves on 183 hectares of land on Douglas Portage. The population is 220, of whom 12 live in two houses on the reserves. Elections are held by custom, and the band is affiliated with the Coast Mountain Development Council. Children attend provincial schools. Important economic activities and resources include the Coast Mountain Development Corporation. There are no facilities on the reserves.
Seton Lake Band controls six reserves on 1,802 hectares of land on the north shore of Seton Lake. The population is 512, of whom 230 live in 71 houses on the reserves. Elections are held by custom, and the band is affiliated with the Lillooet Tribal Council. Children attend band and provincial schools. Important economic activities and resources include forestry, a sawmill, a store, a restaurant, and a wood products manufacturing shop. Facilities include offices, a community hall, a church, and a garage.
Skookum Chuck Band, formerly part of the Lillooet River Band, controls ten reserves on 676 hectares of land on Douglas Portage. The population is 305, of whom 25 live in 16 houses on the reserves. Elections are held by custom, and the band is affiliated with the Coast Mountain Development Council and the In-SHUCK-ch Council. Important economic activities and resources include the Coast Mountain Development Council. Facilities include offices, a community hall, a church, and a diesel power station.
