The Syilx people have always governed our land accordingly to principles that are embedded in traditional knowledge, stories, teachings, ceremonies, and the arts. These principles carry with them a sacred, inherent responsibility to care for the tmxʷulaxʷ, the land.
The nsyilxcen word commonly used to refer to all living things is tmixʷ. tmixʷ includes everything alive – the land, water, animals, people, plants, and so on. The Syilx Okanagan concept of land encompasses more than the physical geography of place, it includes the spiritual connections of everything living on and within it. The Syilx Okanagan language, nsyilxcen, and the captikʷł transmit knowledge about natural laws and what people need to learn in order to survive on the land.
The Okanagan Nation Alliance is restoring and revitalizing ecosystems across the Okanagan and Lower Columbia Basin through land, water, and habitat restoration guided by Syilx Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), cultural teachings, and responsibilities to care for and steward the land.
ONA’s restoration initiatives take a holistic approach – restoring land, water, and wildlife, rebuilding ecosystem nutrients, and creating opportunities for Syilx Okanagan People to reconnect with and steward their territory.
These initiatives focus on restoring and enhancing watershed ecosystems through a range of interconnected projects, including supporting beaver population recovery using beaver-mimicry techniques, restoring riparian wetlands and Chinook salmon habitat, and reconnecting fish passage to historic spawning grounds in Okanagan Lake for the first time in nearly a century. Guided by Syilx values, this work contributes to biodiversity conservation, improved watershed health, and long-term ecological resilience for future generations.
kʷu tl təmxʷulaʔxʷ – we come from the land