The Region and First People

Canadian Rockies - Kootenay Rockies

The TransRockies Gravel Royale is held in a very special part of the world. The Canadian Rockies lie along the Continental Divide – the hydrological apex of the continent where snowmelt feeds rivers that flow to the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic Oceans.

Elk, bighorn sheep, wolves and bears inhabit the mountains and forests. A World heritage site, the region is home to four National Parks and features alpine peaks and lakes, icefields, and hot springs.

Most of the route also falls into the Kootenay Rockies region in the southeast corner of British Columbia, which is home to over 75 provincial parks. The TransRockies Gravel Royale explores some of the most remote areas of the region.

The Land of the Ktunaxa People

TransRockies Gravel Royale takes place on ancestral lands of the Ktunaxa First Nation, whose people have occupied the lands surrounding the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers for more than 10,000 years.

Ktunaxa Creation Story

The Ktunaxa people have been in this area since Naⱡmuqȼin fulfilled his prophecy and placed the Ktunaxa people in this area to be the keepers of the land. At that time there was some disturbance caused by a huge water monster known as Yawuʔnik̓, who killed many of the animals.  It was decided that Yawuʔnik̓ had to be destroyed. A war party was formed. Yawuʔnik̓ plied the Kootenay (wu·u ʔaqsⱡmaknik ʔakinmituk) and Columbia (Miȼ̓qaqas) River System. When Yawuʔnik̓ was killed, and butchered and distributed among the animals, Yawuʔnik̓’s ribs were scattered throughout the region that now form the Hoodoos seen throughout the region.

When the prophecy was fulfilled the spirit animals ascended above and are now the guiding spirits of the Ktunaxa.  In all the excitement Naⱡmuqȼin rose to his feet and stood upright hitting his head on the ceiling of the sky. He knocked himself dead. His feet went northward and is today known as Ya·kⱡiki, in the Yellowhead Pass vicinity.   Naⱡmuqȼin’s head is near Yellowstone Park in the State of Montana. His body forms the Rocky Mountains.

Source:  Ktunaxa Creation Story