A short ride northwest of the small Canadian town of Osoyoos there is a body of water which has come to be known in English as Spotted Lake. It is believed to be the most mineralized2） lake on the planet with 365 "circles"—one for each day of the year—in a large number of shapes， sizes and depths. It is an extraordinary natural phenomenon.

It is called Kliluk by the Okanagan， one of the native peoples in Canada collectively called the First Nations3）.For them， it is a sacred medicine lake and their people have been coming to the lake in search of cures for various ailments4） for centuries. There are hundreds of ceremonial cairns5） surrounding the lake， many of which are so old that they have been buried by time.

The Okanagan used the lake as a spa， in effect， soaking away their aches and pains in its healing waters. One story in their oral history has a battle between tribes coming to a halt6） and a truce7） being called so that both sides could tend their wounded in the lake.

As the heat of the summer rises， most of the water in the lake evaporates which leaves behind large mineral deposits8）， easily visible with the naked eye—the spots for which the lake is so famous. They appear different in color because of their various mineral compositions. They are mainly made of magnesium sulfate9）—popularly known as Epsom salts10）—which crystallize in the summer. It is said that the lake has the highest natural concentration of this mineral in the world.

During the driest periods of the year the lake is without any liquid at all. The area around the spots could be walked through—although this is strictly forbidden. Yet what little there may be is sometimes tasted by the local wildlife. It is doubtful whether this bear&apos；s thirst was satisfied by these waters， however.

Even when it&apos；s coldest in the winter you can almost make out， through the snow， the dimples11） which form the circles.

The lake also has high concentrations of both calcium and sodium12） sulfate as well massive levels of eight other minerals. Furthermore， it contains both silver and titanium13）. It must have been annoying for the Okanagan then， when during the First World War these materials were taken from the lake in large quantities in order to manufacture munitions14） for the largest military conflict the world had ever seen up to that point. Rather than being used for healing， they were used to help kill.

Little wonder then， that the First Nations have since then been keen to both preserve and own the land and the lake. Yet that did not happen for many years. The last owners of European descent， the Smith family， were reluctant to sell， wishing instead to make the lake into a spa. Finally， in 2001 a deal was made when the family abandoned their hold on the lake and the land around it and Spotted Lake returned to its original guardians.

As the site is both culturally and ecologically sensitive the lake and its surrounding areas are protected. At the moment the lake is fenced but it is hoped that there will eventually be an information kiosk15） and a fully developed lookout point from which interested tourists can view the lake without interfering with its delicate16） natural balance and the historic， sacred cairns of the Okanagan which are beyond valuation.

從加拿大小鎮(zhèn)奧索尤斯開車出發(fā)，往西北方向行駛不遠處有一片水域，它已逐漸以英文名“斑點湖”而為人所熟知。人們認(rèn)為此湖是地球上所含礦物質(zhì)最為豐富的湖泊，湖面散布著365個形狀、大小和深度各異的“圓圈”（一個圓圈對應(yīng)著一年的一天）。它是一處非同尋常的自然景觀。

歐肯納根人是被人統(tǒng)稱為“第一民族”的加拿大原住民中的一支，他們稱此湖為“克里盧克”。對他們而言，這是一個可以尋醫(yī)問藥的圣湖，幾百年來，他們的族人一直會來這里尋求治療各種疾病的辦法。該湖四周有數(shù)百個用于儀式的堆石標(biāo)，很多年代太過久遠，經(jīng)過多年已經(jīng)被掩埋。

歐肯納根人其實是把這個湖用作礦泉療養(yǎng)地，他們泡在具有治愈功效的湖水里，來浸除疼痛。他們的口述歷史中流傳著這樣一個故事：過去部落之間曾發(fā)生過一場戰(zhàn)斗，雙方打了一陣后停了下來，宣布休戰(zhàn)，好讓雙方都能在湖中為自己的傷員療傷。

隨著夏天氣溫上升，大片湖水就會蒸發(fā)，留下大量用肉眼就能輕易看見的礦物沉淀，從而形成了為該湖贏得盛名的“斑點”。這些斑點因其所含礦物成分多種多樣，呈現(xiàn)出不同的顏色。湖中的礦物質(zhì)主要由硫酸鎂（俗稱瀉鹽）構(gòu)成，它們一到夏天就會結(jié)晶。據(jù)說該湖硫酸鎂的天然含量是世界最高的。

在每年最干燥的時期，湖水就會徹底干涸，這時人們可以徒步穿過“斑點”周圍的區(qū)域，盡管此舉被嚴(yán)格禁止。不過，就算可能會剩下一丁點湖水，它們有時也會被當(dāng)?shù)氐囊吧鷦游飮L上幾口。至于這點湖水能否讓圖中這只熊止渴，那就很難說了。

即便是在隆冬季節(jié)，你也幾乎可以透過積雪辨認(rèn)出形成“圓圈”的那一個個小坑。

湖水還富含硫酸鈣、硫酸鈉以及其他八種含量極高的礦物質(zhì)。除此之外，湖水中還含有銀和鈦。第一次世界大戰(zhàn)期間，這些礦產(chǎn)被人們從湖中大量開采來制造軍火，供這場在當(dāng)時來說前所未見的世界最大軍事沖突使用。這件事在當(dāng)時肯定令歐肯納根人感到惱火——湖中的礦產(chǎn)被用來幫助殺人，而不是治病救人。

難怪“第一民族”自此之后一直熱衷于保護這片土地和這個湖，并渴望獲得它們的所有權(quán)。然而，這個愿望多年來一直未能實現(xiàn)。史密斯家族是該湖的最后一代所有人，這個祖籍歐洲的家族并不愿將該湖售出，反而想把它打造成一個礦泉療養(yǎng)地。最終在2001年才達成了一項協(xié)議，史密斯家族放棄了對該湖及其周邊土地的所有權(quán)，斑點湖重新回到了其原先守護者的懷抱。

由于該地文化和生態(tài)環(huán)境脆弱，湖區(qū)及其周邊地區(qū)都受到了保護。湖區(qū)目前圍了護欄，不過希望這里最終會建一個信息亭和一個設(shè)施完善的 望臺，感興趣的游客可以由此欣賞湖景，而不會破壞這里脆弱的生態(tài)平衡以及歐肯納根人那些極具歷史意義的神圣堆石標(biāo)，它們可是無價之寶。