Canadian folklore Canadian folklore is the traditional material that Canadians pass down from generation to generation, either as oral literature or "by custom or practice". It includes songs, legends, jokes, rhymes, proverbs, weather lore, superstitions, and prac ...

, Seelkee (transcribed in English from

Halqemeylem Halkomelem (; in the Upriver dialect, in the Island dialect, and in the Downriver dialect) is a language of various First Nations peoples of the British Columbia Coast. It is spoken in what is now British Columbia, ranging from southeastern ...

, the local

indigenous language An indigenous language, or autochthonous language, is a language that is native to a region and spoken by indigenous peoples. This language is from a linguistically distinct community that originated in the area. Indigenous languages are not neces ...

) is a

lake monster A lake monster is a lake-dwelling entity in folklore. The most famous example is the Loch Ness Monster. Depictions of lake monsters are often similar to those of sea monsters. In the ''Motif-Index of Folk-Literature'', entities classified as "lak ...

reported to have lived in the swamps of what is now

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdoor ...

, in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada. Seelkee has been allegedly seen by the Stó:lō,

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

, people for hundreds of years. The most common description of Seelkee is a 10 to 15-foot-long ()

sea serpent A sea serpent or sea dragon is a type of dragon sea monster described in various mythologies, most notably Mesopotamian (Tiamat), Judaeo-Christian (Leviathan), Greek (Cetus, Echidna, Hydra, Scylla), and Norse (Jörmungandr). Mythology and folk ...

like beast with the head of a horse. Most descriptions talk about how the creature was snake-like with two heads. Mostly black the serpent had red circular designs. The primary summer shelters for the Stó:lō people was in the form of a

longhouse A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America. Many were built from timber and often rep ...

. Although some modern longhouses were built with

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

d roofs, most Stó:lō longhouses were built with a single flat, but slanted roof, similar to the Xá:ytem Longhouse. Entire extended families would live in a longhouse, and the structure could be extended as the family expanded. Some of the longhouses in the local Stó:lō villages were defined by large house posts with Seelkee designs accented with red paint. One of the first Caucasian settlers of the region, Issac Kipp, reportly saw a Seelkee and spoke how he was told by the local Sto:lo people never to turn your back on the beast. Saying "Don't turn around, if you do you'll be sick."

Bibliography

Notes References * - Total pages: 208 * - Total pages: 722 * - Total pages: 226 * - Total pages: 42 Culture of British Columbia Canadian folklore First Nations in British Columbia SEelkee Canadian legendary creatures Legendary creatures of the indigenous peoples of North America Sea serpents {{NorthAm-myth-stub

See also

Bibliography