Introduction Lesson: Syilx History
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. Our members share the same land, nsyilxcən language, culture, and customs. We are a distinct and sovereign Nation.
Syilx History
From time immemorial, we the Syilx (Okanagan) people are self-reliant and well provided for through our own ingenuity and use of the land and resources. We live united as a nation within a holistic economy, traveling throughout our territory. We sustain ourselves through hunting, fishing, growing, harvesting, and trading.
“The traditional territory of the Syilx was fiercely protected and defended as the major water systems were recognized as being central to all life. The survival of the Syilx depended on their ability to control these water systems and they made it abundantly clear to other tribes that it was their right to distribute and share the food resources. The ability to protect and defend these resources ensured the survival of future generations of Syilx.” (Dr. M. Sam)
The Syilx perspective on water rights is understood in a vastly different manner than the European concept of rights, which is tied to exclusionary property and ownership that lie vested in principles of control and domination. Syilx rights are viewed as an ethical responsibility that allows for the regeneration of all life forms. The Syilx people are the caretakers and stewards of our natural world, for all that might share in its abundance.
There are specific captikʷɬ that teach the laws and protocols around taking care of the water and ensuring it has a voice. (captikwł– is the intergenerational history and oral record of the Syilx (Okanagan) People.)
There needs to be a shift for all of us to see water as more of a relation and not just a resource used for human benefits. Change the whole perspective to “What can we do for water?” versus “What can water do for us?” – Tessa Terbasket
Taking Care of the Land
The ability of Syilx to have survived upon the land over thousands of years is based upon the principle of reciprocity. Syilx people manage the tmixw through such practices as controlled burning on the lands to enhance the productivity and abundance of their plant resources as well as providing forage for our deer and other game. Additionally we prune berry bushes to make them more productive and gather plants selectively to make them more bountiful.
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK): As a result of an environmental ethic based on ecological knowledge, Syilx practice a sophisticated model of regenerative conservation of the land and water.
Indicator Plants: Used by Syilx to predict the diversity of other species; the state of other species life cycle; or certain ecosystem processes within an area. Examples of indicator plants:
- mulx (Black Cottonwood): High spring flood waters will start to recede as soon as mulx commence releasing their cottony fluff containing seeds.
- siyaʔ (Saskatoon berry): The first blooms indicate that sp̓iƛ̕əm (Bitterroot) is ready for harvest.
- t̕əl̕t̕əl̕tiɬp (Smooth sumac): When the leaves turn red the Sockeye salmon are spawning and also turning red.
Colonization and Present Day Governance
The Syilx Okanagan people have always governed their land according to principles that are embedded in traditional knowledge, stories, teachings, ceremonies, medicines, dances and the arts. These principles carry with them a sacred, inherent responsibility to care for the tmxʷulaxʷ (the land).
These responsibilities were given to the Syilx by kʷuləncutn (the creator and arranger of the world) and they have been upheld since the beginning of time. The sovereign, unceded right to self governance and self-determination is affirmed within Syilx Okanagan laws and customs as dictated by captikʷł.
From first contact, the influx of settlers was slow but steady, with both Syilx and settlers working towards a living arrangement. However, over time and through colonization, they were divided from one another and from their way of life. They were also dispossessed from the resources they relied upon, and their self-sufficient economy collapsed.
The colonial practice of dam construction and channelization of rivers, urban encroachment, industrial agriculture, pollution, and harmful water management practices have all contributed to depletion and extinction of fish stocks within the Okanagan River basin. siwłkʷ systems are mismanaged through the colonial practice of channelization and pollution.
Syilx People have generations of knowledge that embodies successful siwłkʷ stewardship prior to colonization which remains important to this day. Syilx perspectives on all living things look at the long term view and work forward, learning from past experiences and knowledge still held by members.
The Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) provides technical fisheries assistance for the Nation and its member communities and acts as a liaison between federal and provincial fisheries agencies, local governments and non-government organizations (NGOs). They are also actively involved in the conservation, protection, restoration, and enhancement of fish stocks, and in particular with Okanagan River sockeye salmon.
The ONA is committed to bringing the salmon back by creating partnerships and integrating modern science with traditional practices.
Years of hard work and dedication are starting to pay off, where we now see sockeye runs in the 100s of 1000s.
ONA’s goal is to protect, enhance, conserve and continue to restore salmon stocks to ensure a healthy salmon population for generations to come.