First Nation repatriates bones

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WINFIELD-Okanagan Indian Band members and Elders held a ceremony to repatriate the bones of one of the Nation's ancestors in late October.

The remains were uncovered near Winfield during work on Highway 97 and were reburied near the south end of Wood Lake.

"The fact that one of our ancestor's remains were disturbed and that the part of these remains, along with that of other of our ancestors, may still lie under the highway is something that is extremely upsetting to us," said the band's chief, Dan Wilson.

"As is the case with many Native cultures, we buried our dead near or overlooking water, especially the lakes that sustained us for countless generations," he explained.

"As people who have lived in this area for thousands of years and who have great respect for our ancestors, we were not happy to see our sacred burial sites paved over with roads and highways."

Wilson will be consulting with Elders to decide what to do.

"Although we intend to erect a small monument marking this ancestral burial site, we will also be discussing other options, including the relocation of any additional human remains now situated beneath Highway 97."

Once he gets some direction from the Elders, the chief said he likely will seek a meeting with Transportation Minister Judith Reid.

"We also will now be more diligent in holding the provincial government accountable to its own standards and criteria as laid out in the Heritage Act," Wilson said.