Tk’emlúps (kamloops)
British Columbia
The word Kamloops is the English translation of the Shuswap word Tk’emlúps, meaning ‘where the rivers meet,’ and for centuries has been the home of the Tk’emlupsemc, ‘people of the confluence.’
The Tk‘emlúpsemc, now known as the Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc are members of the Interior-Salish Secwepemc (Shuswap) speaking peoples of British Columbia. The Shuswap or Secwepemc (pronounced suh-Wep-muhc) people occupy a vast territory of the interior of British Columbia. This traditional territory stretches from the Columbia River valley along the Rocky Mountains, west to the Fraser River, and south to the Arrow Lakes.
The City of Kamloops has a 2016 population of 90,280 and is the 12 largest city in BC and is located at the confluence of the two branches of the Thompson River and east of Kamloops Lake.
At one time the Secwepemc people occupied one large Traditional territory covering approximately 145,000 square kilometers. In 1811, after European contact, the colonial government divided the Secwepemc people into 17 distinct groups with specific parcels of land designated to each.
The Kamloops Reserve land base was established in 1862. It is located east of the North Thompson River and north of the South Thompson River, adjacent to the City of Kamloops.
Tk’emlúps has always occupied a place of great economic importance in this region. Traversed by two major waterways, traditional Tk’emlupsemc territory was the center of major traffic and trade routes.
Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc is a progressive community committed to attaining self-sufficiency and independence through education and economic development. The Band currently has approximately 1,500 members living on and off its 33,000-acre (130 km2) reserve.
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Tk’emlúps Films
2023
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