Established about 1862, this was exclusively the cemetery of the Lheidli T'enneh, the First Nations People who had occupied the land for eons before the arrival of the Europeans. Prior to the arrival of Catholic priests Lheidli T'enneh traditionally cremated their dead. The priests slowly converted that tradition within the Lheidli T'enneh to burial, the people using this cemetery.
Though the Lheidli T'enneh were assured that their cemetery would remain available to them when they sold the land, that was not to be and at least parts of the cemetery were bulldozed. In 1973 the cemetery was given back to the Lheidli T'enneh and remains in use today.
Partly because many old grave markers would have been wood, partly because the whites didn't keep their word, there are no old markers in the cemetery in their original locations. Several damaged pre 1900 headstones have been recovered and restored then set in concrete for preservation. Today the few newer markers are flush headstones.
Well maintained, the cemetery is predominantly a broad expanse of lush, green grass with the few newer headstones at the rear and a circular planter/fountain in the centre. It is around the perimeter of the planter that the restored headstones have been set. Over the main entrance has been erected a grand lychgate with Lheidli T'enneh artwork on the arch and inside a painting of the Lheidli T'enneh village as it would have been in the mid to late 1800s.
LHEIDLI T'ENNEH CEMETERY
Traditionally the Lheidli T'enneh cremated their dead before the arrival of the Catholic priests in this region in the 1860s.
Body burials probably started with the 1862 smallpox epidemic that hit the band hard, killing all the children. The transition from cremation to burial would have been by individual choice and it may have taken the priests many years to convince all families to change their beliefs and tradition.
Construction of St. Joseph's Church was finished in 1875 and there are indications that burials may have been in the church yard for the first few years before establishing the current location. When the Lheidli T'enneh agreed to sell the Fort George Reserve #1 in 1911 it was with the assurance that they would retain the use of their cemetery. The next 65 years would he an extreme challenge for the Lheidli people with the bulldozing of their cemetery, residential school, assimilation, tuberculosis and general neglect.
In 1973 the first burial in 50 years took place and the cemetery remains active. Over the next 15 years the City moved on a number of enhancement projects including re-establishing the proper cemetery boundaries. Today, all are welcome to visit the Lheidli T'enneh's Cemetery, a place of reflection and respect.
From the Historical Marker at the Cemetery