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.
Inclusive regional governance
The Regional Board recognizes that colonial practices exist within our local, provincial and federal government systems. The Board has prioritized redefining our relationships with syilx / Okanagan communities within the Central Okanagan and intends to move forward in the spirit of Reconciliation.
In 2023, the RDCO was provided provincial funding from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to explore the advancement of First Nation participation on regional district boards. The RDCO and Westbank First Nation (WFN) jointly agreed to engage JWR Business Group to conduct research and then draft the RDCO/WFN Inclusive Regional Governance Initiative Discussion Paper. The discussion paper was presented to the Regional Board and Westbank First Nation Chief and Council in January 2024. The discussion paper outlined five inclusive governance models for more exploration.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs has continued to support this initiative with additional funding for 2024/2025. The RDCO and WFN engaged JWR Business Group, supported by Neilson Strategies Inc. in collaboration with Urban Systems, to facilitate a working session on March 13, 2024 and produce an outcome report following the session. The purpose of this meeting was for elected officials and leadership teams from both the RDCO and WFN to further explore the models proposed in the discussion paper and to provide direction on what preferred what preferred models each government would like to further develop as a proposal to the province.
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 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
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
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
Resources
| Kelowna Museums - events |
|
Kelowna Museums have been hosting nsyilxcen language courses and a series "syilx Traditional Plants Use Walking Tour". See the Kelowna Museums events webpage for current offerings. |
| Sncəwips Heritage Museum |
|
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 |
|
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. |
|
Where are the Children - touring exhibition, website and app |
|
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 parks partnership
Visit our syilx / Okanagan partnerships page for more information.