Description

For millennia, hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwxw̱ ú7mesh have lived, traveled, traded and harvested resources around Burnaby Mountain and Deer Lake. Ducks, elk and deer were hunted here, and the lake was well-known as a place to harvest cranberries. Oral histories and place names document heritage values around the lake, and these are also confirmed by archaeological studies. Deer Lake is also the site of the infamous Oakalla Prison Farm where many Indigenous people were imprisoned over the years, including 20 Kwakwaka'wakw arrested at a 1921 potlatch. The prison was shut down in 1991.