SPOTTED LAKE YOUTH CANOE LAUNCH
On September 1, 2020, WFN youth representatives, Councillors Jordan Coble and Andrea Alexander, Youth and Recreation Manager Nicole Werstuik, and carvers Frank Marchand and Will Poitras attended Spotted Lake for a ceremonial first launch of the recently crafted youth canoe.
The project began in July 2020, with support from Frank and Will and funding obtained through the support of WFN’s Intergovernmental Affairs Department that supports culture and language. During the months of July and August, Frank and Will were assisted by the WFN Youth Camp and other community members as they transformed a 900-pound log into a canoe. This marked the first time that a canoe also represented an animal with a coyote at its front.
The canoe was given the name of kwkeyuma? snk’lip, after youth had spotted two baby coyotes visiting the log at the project site shortly after its arrival.
An official launch in Okanagan Lake will occur later this Fall.