The Syilx Okanagan Nation

Photography by Melissa Fowler | @melissamfowler

The First Nations People of Osoyoos are part of the Syilx Okanagan Nation which is made up of eight communities in the interior of British Columbia and in the United States.

These communities include: Okanagan Indian Band, Upper Nicola Band, Westbank First Nation, Penticton Indian Band, Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB), and Lower and Upper Similkameen Indian Bands and the Colville Confederated Tribes in northern Washington State.

Over 500 band members live and work on the Osoyoos Indian Reserve – 13,000 hectares of Sonoran Desert landscape stretching from Oliver to Osoyoos that reflects a small portion of their once vast traditional lands.

Thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers, the Osoyoos Indian Band’s ancestors used the current sẁiẁs meaning ‘narrowing of the waters’ Provincial Park as a crossing and as a cultural and living site. Ancestral remains found at sẁiẁs have been dated as 1,224 years old – the oldest on record in the Osoyoos region. Okanagan First Nations once travelled widely for fishing, gathering and hunting and each year, the first harvests of roots, berries, fish and game were celebrated by ceremonies honouring the food chiefs who provided for the people. In the winter, people returned to permanent winter villages.

At the height of Syilx culture, about 3,000 years ago, it is estimated that 12,000 people lived in the Okanagan valley and surrounding areas.

Radiocarbon dating of animal materials and disposed shells give valuable insights into the Osoyoos Indian Band’s ancestors and confirmed they lived, travelled and traded on routes extending along the Columbia River Basin as far back as 3,265 – 4,475 years ago.

The names of many familiar towns throughout the Okanagan Valley come from Indigenous languages. This includes Osoyoos, Keremeos, Penticton and Kelowna reflecting the long history of the Syilx people on this land.

ałi kwu_swiwi-numtax We are beautiful ałi kwu_suknaqinx We are Okanagan ałi axaʔ iʔ tmxʷulaxʷ Because our land is beautiful

ałi kwu_swiwi-numtax , ałi kwu_suknaqinx , ałi axaʔ iʔ tmxʷulaxʷ

Photography by Nora Hamade | @simplynorah

THE SYILX OKANAGAN NATION

The OIB is one of the most successful First Nations bands in Canada having achieved financial independence and high levels of employment. OIB Chief Clarence Louie has commented that, “today we are probably the only band in Canada that has the number of businesses and joint ventures that we have on a per capita basis.”

Chief Louie credits this to the fact the Sylix people have for thousands of years traded with other tribes from far and wide. “We are business people, we have always been business people,” he said.

For a more in-depth look into the fascinating history of the Indigenous Peoples of this region and their close relationship to the land, visit the award-winning interpretive center NK’Mip Desert Cultural Centre. It features a wide range of engaging indoor exhibits, outdoor displays and walking trails.

The word nk’mip (pronounced ‘in-ka-meep’) translates to ‘bottomland’, being as it is, located at the southern (bottom) end of the Osoyoos Indian Reserve.

Similarly, no visit to Osoyoos would be complete without a visit to the surreal Spotted Lake. Known to the Syilx First Nations as kliluk, it has long been considered a sacred lake and an important source of traditional medicine for their people.

The small lake is rich in a variety of minerals, including magnesium, sodium and calcium sulfates, titanium and silver that give the lake its unique spots which range in colour from blue, to green, to yellow. In scientific terms, it is a saline endorheic alkali lake.

During the hot summer months, water in the lake evaporates leaving concentrations of these various minerals that form the visible spots which change in size and colour through further evaporation.

The lake is located 10km northwest of Osoyoos in the eastern Similkameen Valley, on Highway 3. Please respect the cultural and ecological importance of the lake and do not go beyond the fencing.

Photography by Steve Roche