Yey'um'nuts

   Yey'um'nuts (Somenos Creek) is a main tributary of the Cowichan River and is within the territory occupied, utilized and governed by the Cowichan Tribes for many thousands of years. The creek originates at Somenos Lake and served as a transportation corridor for Cowichan people. Several settlements or camps were located along the creek and the lake.

   In 1992, land developers disturbed an ancient burial ground, disturbing 11 individuals. In 1994, an archaeological investigation of the site uncovered 25 additional sets of human remains. At this point, Cowichan Elders decreed that no further disturbance of ancestral remains could be permitted. They said the site was sacred as a resting place for the dead and should be respected as such.

   Yet today, this site is still threatened by development and government inaction.