tkwəɬniwt (Westbank), Syilx Territory: The ONA congratulates Syilx youth, Cole Cassidy, as the artist of the 2018 Okanagan Nation Salmon Feast logo. Every year the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) has a Nation community member create an original design to represent the annual Okanagan Nation Salmon Feast. This year, his artwork, titled “Under the Morning Light” will become part of an ongoing collection of unique representations that illustrate our Nation members’ connection to and the general importance of the Salmon Feast. To see a gallery of all the commissioned artwork to date please visit: www.syilx.org/events/okanagan-nation-salmon-feast/

Cassidy shares that “Since I can remember I have always been drawing, if you ask anyone they will say I’m always drawing something. I also like working with other mediums like digital and clay. I like creating my own characters for comics that I make. My creativity and natural skills for sketching make art very relaxing and enjoyable for me. My family has and continues to support me and my journey in the arts.”

Cole Cassidy is a 14-year old who resides in West Kelowna and is at his last year at Glen Rosa Middle School. His parents are Shayla Lawrence and David Cassidy, and grandparents Kathy Lawrence, Donna and Tony Cassidy. His great-grandparents are the late Eva and William Lawrence.

~

The Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) was formed in 1981 as the inaugural First Nations government in the Okanagan, which represents the 8 member communities of the Okanagan Nation. The Salmon Feast honours the sacredness of the river at sx̌ʷəx̌ʷnitkʷ (Okanagan Falls), which is a culturally significant site for the Syilx (Okanagan) People, and an important traditional fishing camp, gathering place and trading site.

For further information please contact:

Tara Montgomery, ONA Communications Lead

T: 1-250-707-0095 ext. 120

E: tmontgomery@syilx.org

---

  (Unceded Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, BC: May 23, 2018): Late last week, the three Indigenous Nations – the rightful title and rights holders of the Upper Columbia Basin: the Ktunaxa Nation, Secwepemc Nation and Syilx Okanagan Nation – were told by the Government of Canada that they would be excluded from direct participation in the […]

Unceded Syilx Territory/Westbank, BC: The Chiefs of the Syilx Okanagan Nation welcome yesterday’s announcement establishing a $30 million fund targeted towards Mental Wellness. The much-anticipated funding agreement is a result of collaboration between the Province, Canada and the First Nations Health Council and will provide the much-needed resources to provide resources needed to address mental […]

tkwəɬniwt (Westbank), Syilx Territory: From May 10-13, 2018, the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) will celebrate the 10th Annual Spirit of Syilx Youth Unity Run., This annual event is an innovative approach to raising awareness and education with all participants and the public on issues of suicide and violence that continue to confront Syilx communities. The […]

tkwəɬniwt (Westbank), Syilx Territory: On April 10, 2018, the Okanagan Nation Alliance, in collaboration with the Province of British Columbia and the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) announced that $1.45 million has been secured to enhance flood mapping for the Okanagan Valley. The funds received will go towards LiDAR* and digital aerial imagery acquisition for […]

tkwəɬniwt (Westbank), Syilx Territory: On March 22, 2018, as part of World Water Day, the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) hosted our 4th siwɬkʷ (Water) Forum. This event brought together 85 people, including Syilx leadership, elders, traditional knowledge keepers and community members, alongside regional and provincial government, NGO representatives and academics to connect out on the […]

The Syilx Language House Association (SLHA) are reporting midway through the third year of their four-year language program. They are delivering best-practices and community language priorities. Their mission is to create advanced speakers and record Elders. They owe their success to the Paul Creek Curriculum and to commitment—of their students and teachers, of their Bands, […]

(Syilx Territory: Westbank, BC) – Community members from the Syilx Okanagan Nation gathered at the Penticton Courthouse on Monday February 26, 2018 to rally against the systemic injustices exposed by the deaths of Colten Boushie and Tina Fontaine. The deaths highlight how Canada’s legal system continues to fail Indigenous people. Earlier this month, an all-white […]

Media Release – Seeking Our Snaqsilx Gathering Westbank, Okanagan Territory: From February 5-6, 2017, Okanagan Nation Alliance’s (ONA) BRIDGE’s program, in Partnership with Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation, and Okanagan Indian Band’s Pre-Employment Support team, are hosting a networking event at the Penticton Lakeside Resort, which brings Syilx youth and front line workers ( youth, […]

Westbank), Syilx Territory: The ONA has been taking action to reduce pressures on ki?lawna? and recover threatened populations. Most recently, in collaboration with ONA, Clayton Lamb at the University of Alberta Department of Biological Sciences, released the results of a new study that provides insight on the relationships between ki?lawna? and road density. The results […]

snpíntktn (Penticton), Syilx Territory: Today the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) held an official public unveiling ceremony for the new Syilx Indian Residential School monument. This monument is placed where the train and the cattle trucks came to gather Syilx children and take them away to Indian Residential Schools, next to the kł cpə̓ lk) stim̓ […]

From November 28-30, 2017, Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) and Penticton Indian Band (PIB) crews will be working together to install four PIT (Passive Integrated Transponders) arrays in the Penticton channel, just north of the former KVR bridge. These arrays are used to record the movement of any PIT tagged fish species that use the channel […]

Courtesy of the Wilderness Committee VANCOUVER – The Wilderness Committee is awarding the 2017 Eugene Rogers Environmental Award to Grand Chief Stewart Phillip and Joan Phillip at the Wilderness Committee’s Annual Open House. They were chosen for their decades of commitment to preserving and protecting lands, waters and the environment for future generations. They have […]

snpíntktn (Penticton), Syilx Territory: On November 28, 2017, the Okanagan Nation Alliance will hold an official public unveiling ceremony for the new Syilx Indian Residential School monument. All Syilx Nation members and the general public are invited to attend this significant ceremony. This monument is dedicated to all Syilx people who went to Indian Residential […]

Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) is pleased to announce that the Syilx Indian Residential Committee have officially selected artist ‘Smoker’ Virgil Marchand to procure the art for the monument. ‘Smoker’, himself a survivor of the Indian Residential School system at St. Mary’s Mission boarding school, will create the art, which will be an essential part of […]

(Syilx Okanagan Territory/Vernon, BC – November 1, 2017) The Chiefs of the Syilx Okanagan Nation are deeply concerned with the recent developments at Salmon River Road in the North Okanagan given the current status of Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (“MMIWG”) in this country. Recently, Syilx Okanagan Nation members have been rallying to bring […]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: GOVERNMENT OF CANADA OSOYOOS, BRITISH COLUMBIA – With rolling hills and sweeping valleys, the South Okanagan offers a stunning landscape ranging from near-desert to rich forests of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir that support an incredible range of rare animals and plants. The South Okanagan is one of Canada’s most unique habitats and […]

WHO: Syilx & Non Syilx Actors WHAT: Series of 3 two-minute PSA style videos to introduce the ONA YES Program. For more information on the YES Program please visit: www.syilx.org/wellness/our-programs-and-services/you-empowered-strong/ WHEN: Saturday Oct 28 2017, Vernon 10am-12am (maybe Sunday morning) No/low pay but Copy, Credit and Good Food AUDITIONS: Thursday, Oct 26, and Friday, Oct […]

The Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA), with support from the Wellness Committee, applied to INAC (originally Aboriginal and Northern Development Canada) and was awarded funding in 2012 for Truth & Reconciliation Commemorative (TRC) Project. This project was guided by the former TRC Council of Elders, who represented each member community of the Okanagan Nation. This council […]

In 2017 a total run of 25,000-35,000 sc’win (Okanagan sockeye salmon) returned to the fishing grounds. High summer flows provided ideal conditions in suwiw̓s (Osoyoos Lake) and q̓awst’ik’ʷt (Skaha Lake), where salmon held until now when they ready to spawn. This year’s return of sc’win is entirely natural origin, offspring from the 2013 run in […]

Penticton BC – The Penticton Indian Band community members call for the Ministry of Children and Families to recognize and respect the fundamental human Rights of Penticton Indian Band Children and Families. Generations of failed policies and systems have harmed our families and continue to erode critical relationships between MCFD and the Penticton Indian Band […]

snpintktn (Penticton), BC Syilx Territory: On October 3-4, 2017, Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) will host a “15 Years of Restoring Salmon Habitat in the q̓awsitkʷ (Okanagan River)” workshop at the En’owkin Centre in snpintktn, BC. Participants to include government representatives from the Department of Fisheries & Oceans(DFO) and the Ministry of Forest, Land and Natural […]

Syilx Nation youth ages 18-30 committed to creating success and opportunity for other Syilx youth Submissions will be compiled by the BRIDGES team and will select 14 representatives Selected group members will advise on the BRIDGES program, including planning and implementation, and communicating out to the Okanagan Nation membership Time committment: Meet with BRIDGES team […]

It is one of the goals of the Syilx Nation to carry on the work of our Elders, who have taught us the importance of preserving and revitalizing our traditions, customs, and language. As part of this commitment the annual Salmon Feast provides the opportunity for snxa?l’iwlem (to honor the sacredness of the river) at […]

swiw’s (Osoyoos), Syilx Territory, British Columbia: With global political and social turmoil on the rise it has never been more important to have a united voice advocating for peace, justice and human rights. On August 17 as part of the Okanagan Nation’s Annual General Assembly (AGA) a run will take place from chuchuwaya (Hedley) to […]

The Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA), in collaboration with multiple organizations and agencies, have worked tirelessly to bring sockeye salmon back to the Okanagan region. This program has exceeded expectations, with in some years hundreds of thousands of fish entering the Columbia River system. Though previous years have seen plentiful returns, 2017 will be a below-average […]

What is it? The salmon fishery is open to members of the: Lower Similkameen Indian Band, Okanagan Indian Band, Osoyoos Indian band, Penticton Indian Band, Upper Nicola Band, Upper Similkameen Indian Band and the Westbank First Nation. All community members are encouraged to harvest fish.   Fraser River Chinook are available for harvest between Mable Lake […]

(Syilx Okanagan Territory/Westbank, BC – July 21, 2017): The Okanagan Nation Alliance is pleased to receive the Principles respecting the Government of Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples that were released on Friday July 14, 2017. From the Nation’s perspective, these new principles will greatly assist the federal government in its reconciliation mandate and serve as a […]