WHEN: Wednesday, May 17th, 2017. 9:30am – 11:00am

WHERE: Penticton Channel, off Hwy 97 & Green Mountain Road, Penticton, BC. Please drive slowly. Parking will be available along the left side of the Dyke and behind the Save on Gas station. Due to higher than normal water levels we are asking people to be particularly cautious when near the Penticton Channel and Shingle Creek.  

WHY: This release provides an opportunity for the Syilx people to affirm deep connections with the sockeye salmon and their return. ntyitix (Chief Salmon) is central to the Syilx Peoples creation stories and through our captikwł (oral history), passed down through generations, it is our responsibility to be stewards of our lands and waters. These ceremonies with our language, songs and prayers are an integral part of the work that we continue, to ensure our efforts to revitalize our culture. For thousands of years these ceremonies and customs have been brought forward for our children.

WHAT: Okanagan Nation members and over 430 students from local schools will take part in a ceremonial release of 10,000 Okanagan Sockeye fry so that kł cp̓əlk̓ stim̓ (cause to come back) will continue. These fry have been raised by as part of Okanagan Nation Alliance’s (ONA) Fish in Schools (FinS) Program, along with fry from the hatchery.

Howie Wright, ONA Fisheries Manager states that “The Okanagan Nation’s Sockeye Fry Release provides a wide range of learning and engagement opportunities. Through programs such as FinS youth take part in raising the fry and learning about the development of salmon from smolt to fry. Through participating at the Sockeye Fry Release they are able to connect to Syilx/Okanagan cultural practices, as well as learning more about the Okanagan Nation.” 

WHO: ONA’s kł cp̓əlk̓ stim̓ Hatchery is central to our conservation efforts. The 25,000 square foot hatchery has the capacity to rear 8 million eggs, and is currently equipped to handle all fish culture aspects required for 5 million eggs from brood stock management until fry release. As part of their conservation efforts the kł cp̓əlk̓ stim̓ Hatchery will release 5 million fry over the course of May-June, 2017. For more information please visit: https://syilx.org/fisheries/hatchery/ 

Media Contact:

Tara Montgomery, ONA Communications Lead

Email: tmontgomery@syilx.org

Tel: 250-862-6866

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WHAT: The Annual Spirit of Syilx Youth Unity Run will begin at Blanket Creek Provincial Park, heading north to Revelstoke, on to and around BC Hydro’s Mica Dam. In total the Run will go through 309 km of the Okanagan Territory, ending at Martha Creek Provincial Park. We are estimating around 120 Syilx youth to […]

The National Inquiry has extended the deadline for receiving Standing Applications and applications for funding related to standing to Monday May 1, 2017, at 5:00 pm Pacific Daylight Time. The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is now accepting applications for standing from interested parties. There is also an opportunity for […]

First, we want to thank our communities within the Okanagan for their continued support. Specifically, we want to thank those who came forward with information when Roxanne first went missing. Thank you to all those who showed their support during the “Prayer Walk” while Roxanne was still missing. We believe the added pressure from community support finally drove the Robotti’s to confess their crime. Thank you to everyone who organized and attended rallies at the Penticton courthouse during the bail hearing and preliminary hearing. Thank you to all the organizers of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s annual vigil on February 14th. Additional thanks to the UBCO Women’s Resource Centre for holding Tea Talks on Missing and Murdered Indigenous women. These events are crucial for raising awareness and empowering Indigenous voices. Additional thanks to the Osoyoos Indian Band and the Okanagan Nation Transition Emergency House (ONTAH). Also, special thanks to Okanagan Nation Alliance emergency response team for their support throughout the trial.

Syilx Okanagan Nation Territory, Westbank BC:  The Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) is welcoming the provincial court’s March 27, 2017 Desautel decision. The decision arose as a result of hunting charges laid by the Province against Rick Desautel in 2010. The court acquitted Desautel and held that the descendants of the Sinixt continue to exist and […]

From March 19-24 2017 Syilx Basketball, the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) and Westbank First Nation (WFN) will welcome over 700 athletes to Okanagan Nation territory for the annual, provincial, Junior All Native Basketball Tournament (JANT). This is the largest First Nations youth sporting event in BC. Alongside the current tournament, JANT is will also be […]

As Terra Madre Day 2016 nears the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) would like to take the opportunity to thank Slow Food Thompson Okanagan, Slow Food Canada, Slow Food Turtle Island and Slow Food International’s continued support in sharing the story of the return our sc’win and advocating for indigenous food sovereignty in general.

At the core of our connection with Slow Food is a set of shared values around the deeper significance of food and food systems, not only for sustenance, but for the well-being and resilience of people, cultures and ecologies. The key tenants of Slow Food “good clean and fair” food resonates with our indigenous perspective and experience, particularly regarding social justice, conviviality and the sacred nature of food that connects all of us. On Terre Madre Day the Syilx Nation acknowledge the importance and significance of this day set aside for reflecting upon our actions. We stand with our sisters and brothers around the world in our hard work advancing food security efforts for our beautiful peoples, beautiful lands, resources, and sacred waters. We look forward to collectively furthering these practices in the year to come.

November 23, 2016  Stq’aˀtxʷ niw’t, Okanagan Nation Territory: The Okanagan Nation Chiefs Executive Council welcomes the much anticipated report from Grand Chief Ed John, Special Advisor on Aboriginal Child Welfare titled Indigenous Resilience, Connectedness and Reunification – from Root Causes to Root Solutions presented to Premier Clark, Minister Cadieux and Indigenous Leadership on November 21, […]

Hartman Lutz chaired the North American Studies Program at the University of Greifswald until March 2011. He gained his PhD in Philosphy from the University of Tubingen in 1975. Professor Lutz will reflect on his experiences working in Indigenous Studies and speak about and screen his film Trapped in a Human Zoo, a 2016 documentary about […]