The Okanagan Nation Alliance is a First Nations Tribal Council in the Canadian province of British Columbia, spanning the Nicola, Okanagan and Similkameen Districts of the Canadian province of British Columbia and also the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington state of the United States of America.
The Syilx have their own spoken language, nsyilxcən, which is considered to be endangered, due to the small number of fluent speakers living today.
The Syilx Okanagan lived in a self-reliant, economically stable civilization before contact, and hunted, fished, gathered, and grew across their entire territory, creating a sustainable economy that was self-sufficient for the people pre-contact.
[2] Colonization in the 1800s resulted in the Syilx Okanagan lands to be split by the creation of the 49th parallel and the formation of the Canadian-U.S. border in 1846.
[2] In 1987, the Okanagan Nation Alliance adopted and signed their first legal declaration, written in English as well as their own Syilx language.
The document was signed by all chiefs and council members of the eight tribes and ends with the promise to protect the Earth and its resources forever.
[4] It offers several different degrees under nine different programs: Arts and Social Sciences, Creative and Critical Studies, Education, Engineering, Health and Social Development, Management, Medicine, Science, and Graduate Studies.
The Graduate program allows students to develop their own path and find their own unique research opportunities.
The purpose of the CEC is to assert Syilx Okanagan Nation Sovereignty as well as to address the interests of the people.
The current elected leader of the CEC is the Osoyoos band chief, Clarence Louie.
Several members of the nation were encouraged to make videos, messages, or just share their voice in support of the revitalization of Syilx culture.
The salmon is central to the Okanagan Valley ecosystem, and the Syilx people strive to keep its population abundant.
The lands are located in British Columbia and is the most Northern of the bands in the Okanagan Nation Alliance.