Land acknowledgement
The RDCO acknowledges our presence on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded tm̓xʷúlaʔxʷ (land) of the syilx / Okanagan people who have resided here since time immemorial. We recognize, honour, and respect the syilx / Okanagan lands upon which we live, work, and play.
What is tm̓xʷúlaʔxʷ?
tm̓xʷúlaʔxʷ means the land and everything that lives and interacts on it. It is an all encompassing word that expresses the intersectionality of land and nature.
National Indigenous Peoples Day
June is National Indigenous History Month and June 21 is National Indigenous People's Day. On this day we recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, culture, resilience and outstanding contributions of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada, and more specifically the syilx / Okanagan people. See events and resources below for ways you can learn something new about the syilx / Okanagan people.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. The day honours the children who never returned home and the survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital part of the reconciliation process.
For more Information about Truth and Reconciliation and the 94 Calls-to-Action please visit: nctr.ca
RDCO and WFN message on Truth and Reconciliation Day
This path we walk calls on us to acknowledge the truth of what has been done to Indigenous people in the past and continues to this day. The injustices toward syilx / Okanagan people and all Indigenous people across Canada take form through policies that perpetuate racism, hardship, and oppression.
As a non-Indigenous person learning and acknowledging these truths has been uncomfortable and frankly, shameful. Many of us coming from a settler heritage have benefitted from the colonial policies that have led us to where we are today.
This acknowledgement and commitment to educate ourselves is the first step toward Truth and Reconciliation. Often, we want to jump straight to action, but this is a journey we must slow walk to fully understand the ever-present challenges faced by Indigenous people in this place we now call Canada.
Before reconciliation there must be truth.
way̓ limləmt | Thank you
Loyal Wooldridge (he/him)
Chairperson | Regional District of Central Okanagan
Residential School Survivor Support line
If you are a Survivor and need emotional support, a national crisis line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week: 1-866-925-4419
Events and resources
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nakulamen (what we do): syilx Traditional Plant Use Walking Tour - ongoing series |
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The syilx Traditional Plant Use Walking Tour is a stroll from the Laurel Packinghouse to the Rotary Marsh with syilx knowledge carriers as they teach about traditional plant use. The Okanagan is incredibly biodiverse, and the syilx/Okanagan people have deep knowledge of how to use the different plant species for food, medicine, shelter, even natural deodorant! $15 (Free tickets are intended for members of Indigenous nations) |
| Turtle Island Festival - June 21, 2023 |
| The Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society is inviting everyone to celebrate Indigenous culture at the Turtle Island Festival - a mini Powwow! Expect live entertainment, food, arts, crafts and more. Wednesday, June 21, 2023. |
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Siyaʔten Festival - June 24, 2023 |
| Join the Sncəwips Heritage Museum for Siyaʔten Festival - a family fun day filled with traditional and contemporary cultural activities. There will be stick games, cultural demos, syilx activity tables, a talent showcase, live music, bingo, food and drink and giveaways. Saturday, June 24, 2023. |
| Sncəwips Heritage Museum |
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What does it mean to be syilx? The latest exhibit at the Sncəwips Heritage Museum, focuses on the voices of community members and their artistic / written expression of identity. Drop-in and learn all about the syilx people. |
| Take the Indian Out of the Child - book |
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While there are now many books about the Indian residential school system, Take the Indian Out of the Child is the first to speak about specific ways in which it has touched the syilx / Okanagan people. Available for purchase through Okanagan Nation Alliance. |
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Where are the Children - touring exhibition, website and app |
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Where are the Children: Healing the impacts of Residential Schools is a touring exhibition that explores the history and impacts of Canada's Residential School System through Survivor stories, archival photographs and documents curated by Iroquois artist Jeff Thomas. |
Westbank First Nation partnership
Visit our syilx / Okanagan partnerships page for more information.