Syilx Resilience

ku k̓ʷac k̓ʷac twil̓x

We are getting stronger.

The Syilx people are gaining strength every day. As a Nation, we are working to reclaim and restore our traditional Syilx ways of being and knowing. We are the unconquered people of this land and have lived with our mother earth from the beginning of time. The Creator has entrusted us with the responsibility to live in harmony with each other and maintain a balance with all things so that future generations may thrive here also.

Starting in the 1970s, Indigenous people across Turtle Island participated in a cultural revival that went hand-in-hand with roadblocks and demonstrations. By the end of the 1970s, the En’owkin Centre was open – giving our people education grounded in a Syilx worldview, and the Round Lake Treatment Centre had begun – offering a way to well-being rooted in Indigenous values.

Indian Residential School reunions began to be held, and former students supported one another to make change. Their courage and their tireless voices spurred governments to action, creating the awareness and the supports available today.

The way to well-being is unique for each person. For many former students, the land and the culture are a conduit of healing. Breaking the silence has been important —whether through therapy, support groups, or by sharing experiences with family. For many, the path began when they faced the results of destructive patterns in their lives: a health crisis, a marriage breakup, or the impacts on their kids.

In learning about the Syilx people and our Indian Residential School experiences, it is important to remember that we survived.

Today, the practice of our culture is a source of pride and honor. Community-based language revitalization is a reality. The words that were silenced by the Indian Residential Schools are being spoken again in daycares and schools, on the internet and in our meeting places.

Syilx families continue to be united by the gathering of foods on the land. We harvest meat and fish, pick berries, dig roots and gather medicine. We continue to practice the ceremonies that demonstrate respect for the tmixʷ (all living things).

limləmt (thank you) to those that held onto and carried the Sweat Lodges and Winter Dance ceremonies. We have a way back to ourselves.

We are strong. We are warriors. We are resilient because we are here despite everything that we went through. We have rallied. We have persevered. We are coming back to the strength of being Syilx—for all time.