Indigenous History

The Lake Louise area lies within the traditional territories of the Stoney Nakoda (Îyârhe Nakoda), Blackfoot, Tsuut’ina, and Ktunaxa peoples. These nations have used the land for hunting, gathering, travel, and ceremony for thousands of years. Place names such as Wenkchemna (Ten Peaks), Skoki, and the Bow River (Ijathibe Wapta, Mînî Thnî, Makhabn) derive from Indigenous languages.

Lake Louise (Ho-run-num-nay). The Stoney Nakoda knew the lake as Ho-run-num-nay (Horâ Juthin Îmne); “Lake of the Little Fishes”; reflecting the glacial ecology of its cold, nutrient-poor waters. The area served as a “medicine chest” for medicinal plants gathered during seasonal migrations and as a site of spiritual cleansing in the glacial waters. In 1882 Tom Wilson was guided to the lake by Edwin Hunter (Goldseeker), a Stoney Nakoda guide who identified it as the source of the thunderous avalanches Wilson had heard from the Pipestone River.

Displacement. European exploration and the creation of Banff National Park in 1885 displaced Indigenous use of the area. Treaty 7 (1877) and the Pass System restricted movement; between 1890 and 1920 the Stoney Nakoda were systematically removed from the park.

Reconciliation. On 24 August 2020 the Stoney Nakoda First Nation held an inaugural “Discovery Day” ceremony on the shores of Lake Louise; a pipe ceremony and the erection of a teepee on the lakeshore, the first such event in modern memory. The ceremony reclaimed the narrative of the lake’s discovery, shifting focus from Wilson’s 1882 arrival to Edwin Hunter’s role as guide and steward. Parks Canada now works with the Stoney Nakoda on Indigenous-led cultural and interpretation initiatives at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.