"We have lived in our homelands the Secwepemcúlecw for so long that the time of occupation extends beyond the reach of memory."

The Green Lake area has been the traditional gathering place for the Secwépemc peoples since time immemorial. It has significant cultural and traditional importance; there are multiple historical archeological sites in the area, including several ancestral burial sites.

The Secwépemc Nation originally consisted of thirty-two communities separate and independent of one another, but united by a common language, customs, ceremonies and traditions. Seventeen communities representing all Secwepemc people exist today within a 180,000 square kilometre traditional territory.

"We know the gold was our property, but as we did not use it much nor need it to live by we did not object to their searching for it."

Large scale colonial invasions of these lands by Euro Americans began with  two big gold rushes: one in 1858 on the Fraser River and the other in 1862 in the Cariboo district wherein lies Green Lake. In each, tens of thousands of men (and a few women) sailed north from California, where the gold rush was coming to an end.

Possessing intimate knowledge of the lands, The Secwépemc People were essential to the prospectors, providing miners with goods such as canoes and food, and services such as guides and translators.