Global InformationSeelkee information
| Sub grouping | Lake monster |
|---|---|
| Other name(s) | Seelkee, S’í:lhqey, Si'xqe, Shla- lah-kum, Su'ike, Ts'ewalf[1][2] |
| Country | Canada |
| Region | Chilliwack, British Columbia |
| Habitat | Water |
In Canadian folklore, Seelkee (transcribed in English from Halqemeylem, the local indigenous language) is a lake monster reported to have lived in the swamps of what is now Chilliwack, in British Columbia, Canada. Seelkee has been allegedly seen by the Stó:lō, First Nations, people for hundreds of years. The most common description of Seelkee is a 10 to 15-foot-long (3.0 to 4.6 m) sea serpent like beast with the head of a horse.[3]
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. Although some modern longhouses were built with gabled roofs, most Stó:lō longhouses were built with a single flat, but slanted roof, similar to the Xá:ytem Longhouse.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6][5] Saying "Don't turn around, if you do you'll be sick."[7]
- ^ Eberhart 2002, p. 507
- ^ Wells et al. 1987, p. 222
- ^ Wells et al. 1987, p. 121
- ^ Carlson & McHalsie 2001
- ^ a b Wells 1970, pp. 25–32
- ^ Wells et al. 1987, p. 157
- ^ Wells 1970, p. 30