Syilx Okanagan Nation
The Syilx People of the Okanagan Nation are a trans-boundary tribe separated at the 49th parallel by the border between Canada and the United States. Our Nation is comprised of seven member communities in the Southern Interior of British Columbia: Okanagan Indian Band, Osoyoos Indian Band, Penticton Indian Band, Upper Nicola Band, Upper and Lower Similkameen Indian Bands, and Westbank First Nation; and in Northern Washington State, the Colville Confederated Tribes. Our members share the same land, nsyilxcən language, culture, and customs. We are a distinct and sovereign Nation.
Today the Syilx Okanagan People continue to assert their jurisdiction and responsibility over the stewarding of their land, resources and quality of life of their citizens. Our nsyilxcən language and our Syilx Okanagan culture respectfully honour the natural laws of the tmixʷ– that which gives us life.
Welcome to our tmxʷulaxʷ in the Arrow Lakes
The Sinixt people have always been part of the Syilx Okanagan Nation.
One Language. One Land. One Culture. One People.
The Syilx Okanagan, including the Sinixt, are nsyilxcәn-speaking people and we have always been—and always will be—united by our common nsyilxcәn language, our tmxʷulaxʷ (land,) and our sqixʷɬcaʷt (culture).
The Syilx Okanagan Nation, as represented by the Chiefs Executive Council, is the representative and successor group for the Sinixt in Canada.
The story of the historical denial and alleged “extinction” of the Sinixt is tragic, but it should not be used to exclude the Syilx Okanagan Nation from our Territory or deny the identity of Syilx Okanagan peoples in Canada who are of Sinixt descent.
For a full account of these concerns, please read Chief Robert Louie’s Opinion Editorial for the Vancouver Sun.
To help you better understand our story and your role in reconciliation, we have produced a series of short educational backgrounders with guidelines for different audiences
- Getting the Story Right: Sinixt people are part of the Syilx Okanagan Nation (for media and influencers)
- Duty to Consult & Accommodate the Syilx Okanagan Nation in the Arrow Lakes (for governments and industry)
- How to Be a Good Ally to Sinixt People and the Syilx Okanagan Nation (for allies)
- How to Share Syilx-Sinixt Stories, Culture and History Appropriately (for educational and cultural institutions)
If you have questions about these guides, or about Syilx/Sinixt culture and history, please contact our nation directly.
Sincerely,
Chiefs Executive Council, Okanagan Nation Alliance
Reconciliation requires taking the time to truly understand the Territory, culture and history of Nations—including the impacts of colonization and resulting complexities.
Syilx Okanagan, including Sinixt, in Canada
Unchanging stəɬtaɬt (the-truth-way or rights)
In 1846, the Territory and membership of the Syilx Nation were split when the Canada-United States border was drawn across our Territory without our consent. This had many impacts on our Nation, including the separation of our lands and the separation of families. Due to the tragedies of colonization, Syilx Okanagan/Sinixt people from the Eastern Parts of Syilx Okanagan Territory were dispersed. Some remained in what is now known as British Columbia, moving to sister communities in the Okanagan region of our Territory. Others moved within the Territory to what is now known as Washington State, settling at the Colville reservation. In 1956, the Arrow Lakes Band was declared extinct by the Government of Canada just prior to the flooding of ancestral village sites for hydroelectric projects under the Columbia River Treaty.
The Sinixt are still here: We were displaced from of our homes in the Eastern parts of our Territory. Some are in the US, but many are in Canada and live within the communities comprising the Syilx Okanagan Nation. Throughout all this time, we have continued to return to the Eastern parts of Syilx Okanagan Territory, including the Arrow Lakes area, to hunt, fish, pick berries, harvest, carry out ceremony and be present on the tmxʷulaxʷ (land), maintaining connection and responsibilities.
Despite the colonial border, longstanding kinship connections between members of the Syilx Okanagan Nation communities in what is now Canada, and the Colville Confederated Tribes continue to this day.
Territory
The Syilx Okanagan People’s territory is a diverse and beautiful landscape of deserts and lakes, alpine forests and endangered grasslands. It extends over approximately 69,000 square kilometers. The northern area of this territory was close to the area of Mica Creek, just north of modern day Revelstoke, BC, and the eastern boundary was between Kaslo and Kootenay Lakes. The southern boundary extended to the vicinity of Wilbur, Washington and the western border extended into the Nicola Valley.