Oral History

The Secwepemc did not have a system of writing to pass traditional knowledge from one generation to the next. Many stories and legends were used to pass on culture and history. The many different stories and legends were used to teach and to entertain. Every storyteller had his or her own version of the same story. The stories of the Old One suited each storyteller's style, purpose, and audience.

The Secwepemc believed that there was an all-powerful being called Old One that made the world a good place to live in. In the beginning of time, it was said that the world was very small but it grew larger, rising more and more from the lakes that surrounded it. The mythological age was the time of the Secwepemc's first ancestors, a group of beings that had attributes of both animals and people. The Secwepemc called these beings "s-chip-tack-wi-ta" which is roughly "animal people" in English. They were also referred to as transformers. Some of these beings were cannibals and also had special powers. They used these powers to transform things into their present state.

Old One had abilities that were greater than the other transformer figures. The transformers were sent by Old One to prepare the Secwepemc land. The most well-known transformer was Coyote. He had a foolish nature, he was cunning, and he had great magical powers that he used to teach the native people many lessons. Coyote made the world safe for the present day Secwepemc by transforming the people-killing monsters. Old One sometimes had to finish Coyote's work because he had left his work incomplete. Eventually, Coyote was transformed into coyote rocks that can be seen throughout the Secwepemc territory. The Secwepemc were taught that everything in the world had a purpose and must be respected.

 

A coyote rock located near Falkland, BC

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