In 1964, the Governments of Canada and the United States entered into the Columbia River Treaty (CRT), which altered river flows and ultimately commodified the international river system of the Columbia Basin. This is one of the largest infringements on the Syilx Okanagan territory and has profound and lasting impacts on Syilx Okanagan people, Title and Rights, territory and way of life.

It’s dams industrialized the Columbia river system, destroyed thousands of square kilometers of land, permanently disrupted natural ecosystems, and threatened a multitude of species that call this territory home. The flooding desecrated historical Syilx Okanagan/Sinixt villages, sacred sites, burial grounds, and food harvesting areas, breaking many of the cultural and familial connections Syilx Okanagan communities held with the Upper Columbia and nx̌ʷəntkʷitkʷ (Columbia River).

The CRT was entered into without any consultation with, or consent from, the Syilx Okanagan Nation. It resulted in the construction of three major dams in the Upper Columbia Basin that flooded the Arrow Lakes and converted the Upper Columbia watershed into a massive reservoir system, resulting in the devastation of large swaths of Syilx Okanagan Nation Territory, the loss of Nation members’ ability to exercise rights in areas of the Territory, and desecration of ancestral burial and cultural sites.

The Syilx Okanagan/Sinixt people from the Eastern parts of Syilx Okanagan Territory, including the Upper Columbia and Arrow Lakes, 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. Some are in the US, but many are in Canada and live within the communities comprising the Syilx Okanagan Nation.

Canada and the US started renegotiating the CRT in the spring of 2018, as the guaranteed flood control provisions otherwise terminate in September this year. Through the hard work and dedication of Syilx Okanagan leadership, Canada granted observer status to the Syilx Okanagan Nation (along with the Ktunaxa and Secwepemc Nations) in 2019. This has allowed the CEC’s negotiating team to participate in the negotiations with the US – an international precedent and a testament to the strength of a unified approach. Canada and BC also committed to seeking the free, prior and informed consent of the Nation to the terms of a modernized CRT.

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.

The Okanagan Nation Alliance continues to produce a series of videos focused on our connection to the nx̌ʷəntkʷitkʷ (Columbia River), and the Columbia River Treaty process.

See Also

Water

Suggested Resources

Our tmxʷulaxʷ in the Arrow Lakes

Due to colonization, Syilx Okanagan/Sinixt people from the Eastern parts of Syilx Territory were dispersed. We have continued to return to the Eastern parts of Syilx Territory, including the Arrow Lakes, to hunt, fish, harvest, host ceremonies and be present on the land, maintaining our connection and responsibilities.

Article, Video | 5 min read

Columbia River Treaty

…we have never given up our rights to our mother, our mother’s resources, our governments and our religion; we will...

Article, Video | 6 min read

siwɬkʷ Water Declaration

The Syilx Water Declaration serves as a living document on the Syilx relations and values to water. This document communicates the importance of water and responsibilities we have as Syilx people.

Article, Video | 5 min read