Lifting up the voices of our elders

Healing starts with us

Join us for a 2 km Walk for Reconciliation on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation! We will be departing from the Safeway Parking lot and making our way to the SIRS Monument outside the Penticton Hatchery on En’owkin Trail.

Please Note: Please attend walk at your own risk, the ONA is not responsible as this is a public event. We will have lunch at the monument but priority will be given to Syilx IRS Survivors, Syilx elders and nation members.

Walk is open to everyone. Remember to wear your orange, blue, or green shirts!

The Okanagan Nation Alliance would like to welcome Syilx Nation Members to join us for the xʷəxʷmínaʔ (Trout) Fishery. We will be fishing for rainbow trout and bull trout and connecting with our tmxʷulaxʷ (land) and siwɬkʷ (water).

Location: The fishery will occur at the Lardeau River outlet, near the bridge at the southern end of Trout Lake near Gerrard, BC.

Time: Fishery to start at sunrise and run throughout the day and weekend. Camping on-site is encouraged!

Open to all Syilx Nation Members | Travel Support Available

We welcome any Syilx Nation members who would like to participate in this food fishery to please find contact information below. ONA Fisheries will be on-site with rods and reels.

For more Info About The Fishery: Ross Zeleznik, Fisheries Biologist at rzeleznik@syilx.org or 250-365-0340 

For more Info About Travel Support: Raven Mikuletic, Communications Coordinator at rmikuletic@syilx.org or 250-707-0095 ext. 121

ɬə txətʼntiməlx mnimɬcəlx kʷu ks txətʼntimʼ

The Four Food Chiefs Gathering is an annual gathering of Syilx Nation members. This event focuses on information sharing, utilizing the enowkinwixw model through our Four Food Chiefs.

Join us for a two-day gathering featuring workshops, presentations, keynotes, and activities focused on connecting with the land and water, promoting well-being and self-care, along with cultural activities!

Calling Syilx Grandmothers who are passionate about working with children and families to reclaim and restore Syilx family ways of being.

This event is an opportunity for Grandmothers within the Syilx Okanagan Nation to gather and focus on familial roles, Nation needs, and traditional models of child-raising in today’s world.  Grandmothers will identify training and capacity needs within the Nation, define and reclaim family roles and responsibilities, and connect with one another.

Syilx Grandmothers have an inherent role and responsibility to strengthen/teach the practice of Syilx traditions, culture and language. Following Phase II, and Phase IV of the Grandmothers Group Strategy, this event includes Nation and community relationship development and initial steps to the development of a Grandmothers Group Work Plan.

Open to all Syilx Nation Grandmothers | Spaces are limited

Join our Celebration and Honour the Sacredness of the River

It is one of the goals of the Syilx Okanagan Nation to carry on the work of the people’s ancestors and Elders who taught the importance of preserving and revitalizing the traditions, customs, and language of the Syilx people. 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. The Salmon Feast is a three-day event that involves multiple activities including: ceremonies, a canoe paddle, and on Sunday a salmon feast and ceremony for snx̌aʔiwləm (to honour the sacredness of the river).

The Annual  Salmon Feast is an essential practice in the continued organized efforts of the Okanagan Nation Alliance and member communities to raise the importance of the habitat protection and rehabilitation of local ecosystems, watersheds, and renew connections and relationships between all residents of the Region with water and fish. It is vitally important that we honour the salmon so they will always come back to feed the people. This event occurs annually on the third weekend in September.

Event Activities Include:

• Vendors & booths available all weekend
• Raffles and Prize Giveaways
• Clothing Sales
• Arts & Crafts

ONA Salmon Feast Artwork Gallery

Honoring Our Ancestors & Praying for the Salmon

We honour our ancestors with this annual ceremony in which we gather in five separate locations along the Columbia River to help pray for the return of the salmon, two on the United States side and three on the Canadian side. This five-day event starts at Kettle Falls, Washington which is organized by the Inchelium Language House Association and then takes place in Castlegar, Revelstoke, and at McIntyre Dam in BC and Enloe Dam in Washington on successive dates. These locations were chosen for their traditional location our people used to gather at to fish. Both these days start by gathering along the banks of the river to pray for the return of the fish. Everyone is welcome to attend, so please bring your drum and help us pray for the return of the salmon. Registration is not needed.

Kettle Falls Ceremony Location

Castlegar Ceremony Location

Revelstoke Ceremony Location*

McIntyre Ceremony Location

Enloe Ceremony Location

*Revelstoke Ceremony: Please meet at this location by 9:45 am to walk to the calling site together. 

Please Note: Locations may not be exact so please look around for ONA Signage and Vehicles.

We run for our people and our land

The Unity Run emerged in June 2009, as a response to youth requesting to come together and find a way to raise awareness about suicide and violence in their communities. This event allows the ONA to engage with the youth in the community, provides a significant opportunity to reach the ever-growing number of youth among the eight member communities and hearing what issues are important to them. Between 140 and 200 Okanagan Nation members will come together over the multi-day event, with a minimum of 100 partakers joining for the entire event. Based on the previous years, the average age of runners will be in between the ages of 14 and 18, with the youngest runner being 5 and the oldest in their 60’s.

The majority of the runners will be members of Okanagan Nation communities who are chaperoned by designated community members. If you have youth that would like to participate, please contact your local member community youth worker or Wellness/Health department. If you would like to bring your own youth or yourselves please register directly with the ONA.

This event occurs annually on the first weekend in June!

If you’re a youth interested in participating in the 2026 Spirit of Syilx Unity Run, connect with your local youth worker:

WFN – Nicole Werstuik – nwerstuik@wfn.ca

UNB – Tanya McRae – Interm_ea2@uppernicola.com or youth@uppernicola.com

OKIB – Brenden Caron – sractivitiescoordinator@okanagan.org

OIB – Tony Pulido – Tpulido@oib.ca

PIB – Keisha Kruger – Sd.kkruger@pib.ca

LSIB – Guri Singh – yw@lsib.net

USIB – Lindsay Fairweather – Lindsay.Fairweather@usib.ca

If you’re a family interested in participating in the 2026 Spirit of Syilx Unity Run, here’s who to contact:

ONA – Brenden Moore – youthwellness1@syilx.org 778-392-8966

Donations:

If you are interested in donating to the Spirit of Syilx Unity Run for Suicide and Violence Awareness, please see payment options below:

• E-transfer to etransfertd@syilx.org (we are registered for auto-deposit – no password required)
  • Please include a note for your e-transfer in the message box stating “Donation – Unity Run 2024”
• Cheques payable to “Okanagan Nation Alliance” (please see mailing address below)
  • Please include a note of your cheque in the memo box stating “Donation – Unity Run 2024”
• Cash donations can be dropped off at our main office

Mailing Address: 101-3535 Old Okanagan Hwy, Westbank BC V4T 3L7