This broad, shallow body of water 60 km west of Edmonton is called Wakamne (or “God’s Lake”) by the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, who live at the west end of the lake. According to Alexis oral history, a chief followed a vision and led his people to these shores. The lake is known as Manito Sahkahigan (or “Spirit Lake”) to the Cree; it was named Lac Ste. Anne in 1844 by Jean-Baptiste Thibault, a Catholic priest who established a mission here. For generations, the lake has been sacred, especially to Indigenous people, as a site understood to be a place of healing. A pilgrimage, first held in 1889 and now attended by up to 40,000 people annually, happens every July near the feast day of Saint Anne, mother of Mary.
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