Now available to view on Prime Video (USA) and purchase on the official website.
Small Town Monsters is taking a break by doing something different. Instead of searching for Bigfoot in Cursed Waters: Creature of Lake Okanagan, they are investigating the legends and recent sightings of Ogopogo! This creature that’s the mascot of Kelowna, British Columbia has been sighted several times in recent years, and it seems that’s holding steady.
Ever since it was “discovered” as early as 1872 (by settlers), and perhaps longer by indigenous tribes, what makes this documentary compelling is with what locals believe it represents. This work is better because what’s presented here differs from what Josh Gates offered when he visited back in 2009 (with the episode airing in 2010), and also the TV series Monster Quest.
Many First Nations people here say it’s not a threat, and Coralee Miller wonderfully gets to the truth. This member of the Syilx tribe delves into aspects into her culture that consider this water elemental as that, a serine beast who wants to be left alone. If white man sees this creature, so be it. As long as they don’t want to kill it, I’m sure this sea beast won’t reciprocate!
Even for those colonists who arrived here afterwards, those encounters weren’t as frightful. The tales told here are happenstance. As for giving this spirit a shape, the overall consensus says it has the head of a horse, a snake-like body and perhaps with whale-like parts. This chimaera has been sketched out many times, and I love the drawings. She (or he) looks cute, and I want to hug Ogie (my nickname for it)!
Through new interviews and anecdotes with witnesses, the picture painted here suggests this beast represents nature. Instead of dealing with folks wanting to capture it, what’s presented here is to locate Ogopogo’s regular hunting spots. That way, we can gather more evidence and perhaps one day catalogue it. Arlene Gaal was a champion before she recently passed, and I’m glad she’s acknowledged.
As for what filmmaker Eli Watson hopes to accomplish with former journalist Jason Hewlett (pictured above) as they’re the in-the-field investigators, they present a well meaning documentary that’s rich in folklore. They also offer the latest examinations concerning the latest sightings. This individual is also one half of the leadership that is the Canadian Paranormal Society, and I’m glad the team can participate in personal projects to show what else they are into!
The segment he’s most involved in reveals how this creature earned its namesake! I won’t spoil the details when compared to Miller’s reveal of its Indgenious name (N’ha-a-itk), but it got me wondering how my city’s local resident beast by the bay got named? What was Caddy’s name as it was known by the Songhees people? (in Victoria, BC)
That’s where this work misses a beat. I’m very sure Ogopogo and the Cadborosaurus are related. The latter gets a very fast mention, and when it’s my home town monster, I wished there was more said. Until there’s concrete study through DNA analysis, all anyone can offer are theories. And equally said too fast is whether one or many exist. It seems the team here doesn’t want to present the wrong ideas should an eventual discovery, capture and study prove them wrong. No one can provide definitive answers, but I feel they should at least try.
As for other legends said to be haunting the waters and mountains of British Columbia, all anyone has to do is talk to some elders from local indigenous tribes. They have stories to make sure children don’t play outdoors at night, as for where the bear-demon Gumberoo exists, that was in a time before the borders of BC and Washington State became defined! I believe there’s many more that are not as well known.
4 Stars out of 5
Cursed Waters: Creature of Lake Okanagan Trailer
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