Spallumcheen Indian Band facts for kids
The Spallumcheen Indian Band, also known as the Splats'in First Nations, is a group of First Nations people who are part of the Secwepemc (Shuswap) Nation. They live in the Central Interior area of British Columbia, a province in Canada. Their main traditional land, called an Indian reserve, is located near Enderby, British Columbia. This reserve system was set up by the government of the Colony of British Columbia in the 1860s. The Splats'in First Nations are also a member of the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council.
In 1980, members of the Spallumcheen Band traveled to Vancouver to protest against the provincial government. This protest included a march through downtown Vancouver with hundreds of First Nations people. The reason for the protest was that many Indigenous children from the Spallumcheen nation had been taken from their homes over the past 20 years. These children were often adopted by non-Indigenous families or placed in non-Indigenous foster homes.
The protest had a positive outcome for the Spallumcheen community. Both the provincial and federal governments allowed the Band to take control of their own child welfare system. This meant they could make decisions about the care of their children. The Band was given this power through a special rule in the Indian Act, called a by-law. This by-law was passed in 1980 and was named Spallumcheen Indian Band By-law #3 – A By-law of the Care of Our Indian Children. The Spallumcheen Band still has control over their child welfare system today. However, because of how the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) now understands these rules, no other First Nation has been given the same control since the Spallumcheen Band.
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Spallumcheen Indian Reserves
The Spallumcheen First Nations have three main reserves, which are areas of land set aside for them.
Enderby Indian Reserve No. 2
This reserve is located near the town of Enderby. It is on the Shuswap River, where Fortune Creek flows into it. This reserve is quite large, covering about 2,267 hectares.
- Enderby Indian Reserve No. 2, at the town of Enderby, on the Shuswap River at the mouth of Fortune Creek, 2267 ha.50°33′00″N 119°08′00″W / 50.55000°N 119.13333°W
Salmon River Indian Reserve No. 1
This reserve is found on the right side of the Salmon River. It is about two miles north of a place called Glenemma. This reserve covers an area of about 1,559 hectares.
- Salmon River Indian Reserve No. 1, on the right bank of the Salmon River two miles north of Glenemma, 1559.30 ha. 50°30′00″N 119°19′00″W / 50.50000°N 119.31667°W
Sicamous Indian Reserve No. 3
This smaller reserve is located on the western shore of Mara Lake. It is about two miles south of the Sicamous CPR station. This reserve is about 79.8 hectares in size.
- Sicamous Indian Reserve No. 3, on the west shore of Mara Lake, two miles south of the Sicamous CPR station, 79.8 ha.50°49′00″N 119°00′00″W / 50.81667°N 119.00000°W
