The Thompson (tribe)
The Thompson tribe, known as the Nlaka'pamux, is a prominent group within the Salishan language family, historically inhabiting the regions around the Fraser, Thompson, and Nicola rivers in southwestern British Columbia. This Indigenous group is composed of several bands, traditionally led by hereditary chiefs with limited power, and major decisions were made by a council of elder men. Their lifestyle was closely tied to the rivers, with fish, particularly salmon, forming a significant part of their diet, supplemented by hunting and gathering activities. The Thompson were adept at crafting birchbark canoes, snowshoes, and various types of baskets, and they lived in distinct homes depending on the season, including circular lodges in winter and mat houses in summer.
The Thompson tribe first engaged with European settlers in the early 19th century, with initial interactions being largely beneficial. However, as gold miners arrived in the late 1850s, tensions escalated, resulting in conflict and significant population decline due to a smallpox epidemic. Despite these challenges, the tribe's numbers improved in the late 20th century, and many Thompson individuals continue to live in their ancestral territory today, engaging in both traditional practices and modern economic activities. Unfortunately, the use of the Thompson language has diminished, reflecting broader challenges faced by many Indigenous languages in North America.
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Nlaka'pamux
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Plateau
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Salishan
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Southwestern British Columbia
- POPULATION SIZE: 3,105 (2016 Census Statistics Canada); small population in United States
The Nlaka'pamux (also spelled Nlakapamuk, Ntlakyapamuk, or Ntlakapamux), a large branch of the Salishan language family, historically lived along the Fraser, Thompson, and Nicola rivers in southwestern British Columbia. They call themselves Nlaka'pamux, whose meaning is unknown, but the name "Thompson," after the river, became more commonly known after contact with White settlers. They lived in scattered villages along the rivers of their territory.
The Lower Nlaka'pamux, who lived at the lower end of the Fraser River, were divided into several small bands. The Upper Nlaka'pamux were divided into four bands, the largest of which was the Nicola. These bands, made up of related families, lived mostly independently. Each had a hereditary chief who had little authority. A central council of older men made decisions for the group. The Nlaka'pamux's primary food was fish, especially salmon, which they caught with spears, nets, and traps. Men hunted bear, deer, elk, beaver, and caribou, while women worked to preserve the meat and gather berries and roots. The Nlaka'pamux were skilled at making and using birchbark canoes and snowshoes. They also made juniper bows and birchbark and cedar root baskets. Their homes in winter were circular pole-frame lodges. These were half-buried in the ground for warmth and were entered through the roof. In summer, the Nlaka'pamux lived in circular mat houses. They also had sweathouses for ritual use.
The Nlaka'pamux's first contact with White settlers was probably with the explorer Simon Fraser in 1809. Within a decade, the Hudson’s Bay Company established trading posts in the area. The contact and trading were at first beneficial to both sides. When gold miners arrived in 1858 during the Fraser River gold rush, however, tensions grew and led to fighting and death. In 1863, the Nlaka'pamux lost many people to a smallpox epidemic. These pressures caused a decline in population from about five thousand in 1780 to about 1,800 in 1906.
During the twentieth century, conditions improved, and numbers increased. In the late twentieth century, many Nlaka'pamux members were still living in their traditional territory on several reserves. They continued to hunt, fish, and trap but added to their income with new pursuits: farming, the sale of crafts, and wage labor. However, the use of their language, also called Nlaka'pamux, declined sharply, with only around 400 speakers recorded in the 2021 Canadian census. In the early twenty-first century, the population continued to be focused in reserves within their original territory, with centers in Merritt and Lytton.
Bibliography
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Kennedy, Dorothy, and Randy Bouchard. "Interior Salish." The Canadian Encyclopedia, 11 Jan. 2021, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/interior-salish-first-nations. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
"Nlaka'pamux." First Nations Seeker, www.firstnationsseeker.ca/Thompson.html. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
"Nlaka’pamux First Nations." Government of British Columbia, 28 Dec. 2023, www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/consulting-with-first-nations/first-nations-negotiations/first-nations-a-z-listing/nlaka-pamux. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
Teit, James Alexander. Mythology of the Thompson Indians. AMS, 1975.
"Thompson Culture and History." Native Languages of the Americas, www.native-languages.org/thompson‗culture.htm. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
Zeidler, Maryse. “'A Very Powerful Place:' Dispersed across B.C., the Lytton First Nation Aims to Come Back Stronger.” CBC, 18 July 2021, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/lytton-first-nation-rebuild-1.6106474. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.