The Valley of Eagles

Ochre in the Similkameen Valley

"The Ochre Bluffs and paintings are symbols of who we are -- they represent our traditions, in respect to the user of ochre and ceremonial rites, and these traditions are embedded in our teachings" --USIB Member

There are four sacred colours of ochre found here in the Similkameen: red, yellow, black, and white. Ochre is used all over the world -- as medicine, a pigment to make paint, and in ceremonies. Similkameen mined soft ochre by carving into the hillside with digging sticks and antlers, and ochre was used to paint pictographs on rocks throughout the Similkameen Valley.