For millennia, a vast lake existed between Sumas and Vedder mountains in the unceded territory of the Stó:lō people, in what is now known as the Fraser Valley. Teeming with ecological abundance, Semá:th Xo:tsa (Sumas Lake) was central to cultural, spiritual, and physical wellbeing of the Séma:th people (Sumas First Nation) and surrounding Indigenous communities. Between 1919 and 1924, settlers in the region lobbied government to drain the lake, thereby enhancing the agricultural capacity of the region with devastating consequences for Stó:lō people.
The exhibition is inspired by a new children’s book published by The Reach in fall of 2020. The collaborative book and exhibition recall a time when the lake was thriving, using memory and story to allow the lake to live on today. The project is illustrated by Xémontélót Carrielynn Victor and co-authored by Thetáx Chris Silver, Xémontélót Carrielynn Victor, Kris Foulds, and Laura Schneider.
