syilx / Okanagan partnerships

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 istm̓xʷúlaʔxʷ?

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.

Westbank First Nation parks partnership

In 2014, the RDCO and Westbank First Nation (WFN) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the management of sntsk‘il’ntən - Black Mountain Regional Park. In 2018 the RDCO and WFN also entered into an MOU for the Protection and Conservation of Cultural Heritage Sites in Regional Parks. This document recognizes that the land throughout the Central Okanagan has been used by the syilx / Okanagan people since time immemorial.

To support public education of the syilx / Okanagan language—nsyilxcən—some Regional Parks have dual language trail names. This contributes to the RDCO's commitment to Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action #14 Language and Culture: Aboriginal languages are a fundamental and valued element of Canadian culture and society and there is an urgency to preserve them.

Dual language guide to common plants and animals

Working with a syilx Artist and Knowledge Keeper, Krystal Withakay (spaxwawlm), Parks Services produced the brochure, Central Okanagan: Guide to Common Plants and Animals (suqinaq̓inxʷ tmxʷulaxʷ :tmíxʷ uł yayat əts p̓lal), in English and nsyilxcən where possible. The language key below provides audio clips to help with pronunciation.

The guides are available for Individuals at the Robert Hobson EECO or when they participate in a park program. We do not provide class-sets or bulk amounts.

Listen to audio clips of nsyilxcən words