‘Like copyrighting Moses’: hands off our water spirit, say First Nations
People living on the shores of Okanagan Lake have long said that dark, curling waves signal the presence of Ogopogo, a monstrous serpent lurking beneath the surface.
A handful claim to have seen the long green body and horse-like head of Canada’s own Loch Ness monster. They tell stories of a creature that once nearly killed a settler when it dragged his horse into the depths. And every few years, new video footage renews excitement that Ogopogo has been found.
Indigenous residents tell a very different story: one of a sacred water spirit whose identity has been warped by outsiders.
