One Arrow Left The Memoir of Secwepemc Knowledge Keeper Cecilia DeRose

Born in 1935 in the village of Esket, Cecilia DeRose was welcomed into a loving, supportive Secwepemc family. At seven years old, she eagerly awaited her turn to join her older sister and brother at St. Johns Mission, where she could escape the drudgery of washing diapers and caring for her younger siblings at home. Nothing could have prepared her for the cruelty of institutionalized life. Dreams of an education that might lead to a career as a teacher, lawyer, or journalist were dashed. Residential school was hell, and Cecilia was left with the scars to prove it. In 1956, Cecilia married non-Indigenous ranch hand Lenny DeRose and lost her Indigenous status. Nevertheless, Cecilia remained true to her Secwepemc roots and traditions. She eventually regained her status and became an ambassador of Secwepemc language and cultural practices. As she raised her own six children, she took great care to bestow in them the cultural teachings of the Secwepemc identity. She eventually taught the Secwepemcstin language in the public-school system, fulfilling her dream of teaching and reinforcing her belief that “ we have one arrow left in our quiver and that’ s education— we must use it wisely.”

Cecilia Dick DeRose was born into a hardworking Secwepemc family in Esket (Alkali Lake) in 1935. She was the fourth of ten children and was raised on a remote meadow. Despite attending residential school as a child and losing her Indigenous status as an adult, Cecilia fought to retain her Secwepemc culture and traditions, and eventually regained her status. She went on to become an ambassador of Secwepemc language and cultural practices. On June 4, 2024, DeRose received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC. She lives in Esket, BC. Sage Birchwater is the author of Chiwid, Williams Lake: Gateway to the Cariboo Chilcotin, and the bestselling Chilcotin Chronicles. He was a staff writer for the Williams Lake Tribune until 2009, and is the editor of Gumption & Grit: Extraordinary Women of the Cariboo Chilcotin (Caitlin Press, 2009). His most recent book, Talking to the Story Keepers: Tales from the Chilcotin Plateau, was published by Caitlin Press in 2022. Sage lives in Williams Lake, BC, and continues to write about the Chilcotin.