Born in Nova Scotia, Wendy C. Wickwire lived in Merritt and Lytton, British Columbia while researching her doctoral thesis on Native song. She spent most of her working life teaching courses on oral history, British Columbia history, Indigenous history, and the history of anthropology on the Northwest Coast within the Department of History at the University of Victoria. She now focuses her research on the oral tradition (oral narratives, songs, life history) of the First Nations peoples of south-central British Columbia. In June 2019, Wickwire published a biography of Shetland-Canadian ethnographer, James A. Teit (At the Bridge: James Teit and an Anthropology of Belonging) with UBC Press.
Mary Abel (Okanagan) was born and raised at the Head of the Lake (Okanagan Indian Reserve). Two of her four children are also featured in the tapes (Hilda Belanger and Victor Antoine). Mary was a fluent speaker in Okanagan and English, learning most Okanagan songs from her father, Joe Abel, and other relatives and friends in the Okanagan community.
Harry Robinson (Okanagan) was born and raised in the Princeton-Hedley area, where he spent most of his life managing his ranch. He was known for his storytelling; his favorite topics being the history and politics of the area.
Annie York (Thompson) was born in Spuzzum, British Columbia on September 21,1904. She spent most of her adolescence living with her great aunt Annie Silbeenik (Thompson). Shortly after the death of her aunt, York relocated to Merritt, where she served an interpreter for monolingual Native speakers in her area. She eventually moved back Spuzzum, where she developed strong relationships with elders who were related to her. She was known for her singing and for her extensive knowledge in Thompson culture and local history.
Biographical information of other Thompson and Okanagan community members who were informants in Wickwire’s research were not provided.
Okanagan, or Colville-Okanagan, or Nsyilxcən (n̓səl̓xcin̓, n̓syilxčn̓), is a Salish language which arose among the indigenous peoples of the southern Interior Plateau region based primarily in the Okanagan River Basin and the Columbia River Basin in precolonial times in Canada and the United States. Following British, American, and Canadian colonization during the 1800s and the subsequent assimilation of all Salishan tribes, the use of Colville-Okanagan declined drastically. Colville-Okanagan is highly endangered, is rarely learned as a first but is being learned as a second language by more than 40 adults and 35 children in the City of Spokane, Washington, and by several dozen adults on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington State and among Okanagan people in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. About 50 deeply fluent first-language speakers of Colville-Okanagan Salish remain, the majority of whom live in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia.
The Nlakaʼpamux or Nlakapamuk, also previously known as the Thompson, Thompson River Salish, Thompson Salish, or Thompson River people, and historically as the Klackarpun, Haukamaugh, Knife Indians, and Couteau Indians, are an Indigenous First Nations people of the Interior Salish language group in southern British Columbia. Their traditional territory includes parts of the North Cascades region of Washington. The Nlakaʼpamux speak an Interior Salishan language named nɬeʔkepmxcín, usually transliterated as Nlakaʼpamuxtsn and known in English as the Thompson language. The Scwʼexmx of the Nicola Valley speak a dialect also called Scwʼexmx.
The Shuswap language (Shuswap: Secwepemctsín [ʃəxʷəpəməxˈtʃin]) is a northern Interior Salish language traditionally spoken by the Shuswap people (Shuswap: Secwépemc [ʃəˈxʷɛpəməx]) of British Columbia. An endangered language, Shuswap is spoken mainly in the Central and Southern Interior of British Columbia between the Fraser River and the Rocky Mountains. According to the First Peoples' Cultural Council, 200 people speak Shuswap as a mother tongue, and there are 1,190 semi-speakers. Shuswap is the northernmost of the Interior Salish languages, which are spoken in Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
[Information adapted from “Okanagan language”, “Nlakaʼpamux”, and “Shuswap language” articles on Wikipedia; Date Accessed: 05/25/2023]
Sound reels containing interviews and singing sessions of Okanagan, Thompson, and Shuswap Salish songs recorded by Wendy C. Wickwire during her travels through the Southern Interior of British Columbia (Spuzzum, Lytton, Merritt, Vernon, Chase, and Hedley); 1978 to 1980.
Forms part of the Jacobs Research Fund collection
Records stored offsite; advance notice required for use.
Access restricted: For terms of access contact repository.
Records stored offsite; advance notice required for use.
Copyrights retained by creator. Contact Special Collections for details.
Donated by W. Wickwire, Middleton CT, 1978-09-02.
Tape-playback of National Museum of Man (a.k.a. The Canadian Museum of Civilization), Ottawa tapes of Shuswap songs recorded by Marius Barbeau (1912) and James Teit (1915, 1918); contextual information on Shuswap songs; Language: Salish (Shuswap); Location: Neskonlith Indian Reserve, Chase, British Columbia (Aimee August's house)
Tape playback of early Shuswap songs [Side 1], early Thompson songs [Side 2]; National Museum of Man; Language: Salish (Shuswap); Location: Neskonlith Indian Reserve, Chase, British Columbia (Aimee August's house)
Discussion of Thompson songs recorded by James Teit for the National Museum of Man; Language: Salish (Shuswap); Location: Neskonlith Indian Reserve, Chase, British Columbia (Aimee August's house)
Discussion of early Thompson songs recorded by James Teit in 1915-1918; Language: Salish (Shuswap); Location: Neskonlith Indian Reserve, Chase, British Columbia (Aimee August's house)
Early Okanagan songs recorded by James Teit (National Museum of Man, Ottawa); Language: Salish (Shuswap); Location: Neskonlith Indian Reserve, Chase, British Columbia (Aimee August's house)
Early Okanagan songs recorded by James Teit (National Museum of Man, Ottawa), Joe Abel singing [Side 2]; Language: Salish (Okanagan); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, Vernon, British Columbia (Mary Abel's house)
Mary Abel discusses her grandfather's doctoring songs, talks about her own song received in a dream from her father's grandfather, and her grandmother's doctoring song; Language: Salish (Okanagan); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, Vernon, British Columbia (Mary Abel's house)
Old Okanagan and Shuswap songs, Mary-Louise sings, Annie Swallow songs; Language: Salish (Okanagan); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, Vernon, British Columbia
Discussion of old Okanagan songs; Language: Salish (Okanagan); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, Vernon, British Columbia
Tape playback of old Okanagan songs recorded by James Teit; Language: Okanagan (Interior Salish); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, Vernon, British Columbia
Short discussion of a collection of Vernon Okanagan Indian songs recorded in 1961 by Dr. D.A. Ross (found in Vernon Museum); Language: Okanagan (Interior Salish; Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, Vernon, British Columbia
Continued translation and discussion of old Okanagan songs recorded by James Teit in 1918; Language: Okanagan (Interior Salish); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, Vernon, British Columbia
Mary Abel talks about her own song, her relatives, and how she got songs from them; Language: Okanagan (Interior Salish); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, Vernon, British Columbia
Discussion of old Okanagan hymns and songs; Annie Swallow sings; Edward Fred sings; Language: Okanagan (Interior Salish); Location: New Horizon building, Okanagan Indian Reserve
Discussion of Thompson songs recorded by James Teit; Language: Thompson (Interior Salish); Location: British Columbia, Canada (Josephine George's house)
Discussion of Okanagan songs; Language: Okanagan (Interior Salish); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, Vernon, British Columbia
Discussion of Okanagan songs, "lonely songs", Okanagan words for songs, Okanagan winter dance; Language: Okanagan (Interior Salish); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, Vernon, British Columbia
Tape playback interview of Thompson songs recorded in 1915-1918 by James Teit. Discussion of musical culture of Thomspon Indians; Language: Thompson (Interior Salish); Location: Merritt, British Columbia
Tape playback interview of Thompson songs recorded in 1915-1918 by James Teit. Discussion of musical culture of Thomspon Indians; Language: Thompson (Interior Salish); Location: Merritt, British Columbia
Tape playback interview of Thompson songs recorded in 1915-1918 by James Teit. Discussion of musical culture of Thomspon Indians; Language: Thompson (Interior Salish); Location: Merritt, British Columbia
Tape playback interview of Thompson songs recorded in 1915-1918 by James Teit. Discussion of musical culture of Thomspon Indians; Language: Thompson (Interior Salish); Location: Merritt, British Columbia
Okanagan songs sung by Mary Paul and discussion of them. Discussion of James Teit's Okanagan songs; Language: Okanagan (Interior Salish); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, Vernon, British Columbia
Okanagan songs sung by Mary Paul and discussion of them; Language: Okanagan (Interior Salish); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, Vernon, British Columbia
Okanagan songs; Language: Okanagan (Salish Interior); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, Vernon, British Columbia
Mary Paul sings Okanagan songs; Language: Okanagan: (Intgerior Salish); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, Vernon, British Columbia
Recordings of songs and speeches exchanged during social gathering that took place at the Okanagan Indian Reserve to welcome visitors of the Coqualeetza Elders Group; Language(s): Okanagan (Interior Salish), Halkomelem (Coast Salish); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, British Columbia
Tape #26 continued; exchange of songs, a stick-game and dance songs -- Okanagan and Coast Salish; Language: Okanagan (Interior Salish) and Halkomelem (Coast Salish); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, British Columbia
Annie sings some of her Okanagan songs; Language: Interior Salish (Okanagan); Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, British Columbia
One melody on the flute played by Aimee August; Language: Shuswap (Interior Salish); Location: Neskonlith Indian Reserve, British Columbia
Stories by Mr. Harry Robinson (Okanagan), brief description of smoke ceremony; Location: Hedley, British Columbia
Stories by Mr. Harry Robinson (Okanagan); Location: Hedley, British Columbia
Ethnohistorical information on Okanagan history in the Princeton-Hedley era; Location: Hedley, British Columbia
Mary Abel reponding to 1940s tape recording of Okanagan children singing hymns and songs on the Inkameep Indian Reserve; Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, British Columbia
Songs and stories by Mary Abel (Okanagan), Okanagan childrens' songs, "The Cricket and the Grasshopper", "The Owl", stick-game song; Location: Okanagan Indian Reserve, British Columbia
Annie York (Thompson) singing and providing commentary on the cricket/grasshopper song, the bear song, the hebist's song, and a couple of hymns; Location: Spuzzum, British Columbia
Copy of tape provided by Annie York; Originally recorded by Imbert Orchard in 1965; Contains: (1) ethnohistorical information of Thompson Indians and their first encounters with non-indians, including Simon Fraser and his crew, (2) a song composed by a Thompson woman on the occasion of Simon Fraser's visit