Back on October 26th, a ceremony was held in Williams Lake to commemorate the 158th annual Chilcotin War and Lhats’as?in Memorial Day.
This day was created in order to honor the Tsilhqot’in war chiefs that were hung on the same day back in 1864.
The Chiefs in question attacked and killed members of a road crew as an attempt to keep smallpox out of their territory, which had already done a big number on the Tsilhqot’in people.
Many Tsilhqot’in Nation members and guests went to the event for the day, which has been recognized as a national holiday by the Nation since 1999.
Some of the recognizable people that attended included Tsilhqot’in National Government tribal chair Chief Joe Alphonse, BC Assembly of First Nations Chief Terry Tegee, Williams Lake First Nation Chief Willie Sellars and many more.
It was reportedly the first time a memorial event for the day had ever been celebrated in Williams Lake.
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