Okanagan (syilx) members, c. 1918. Back Left: Marriette Gregoire. Back Center: Joe Abel. Back Right: Tommy Gregoire. Left: Celestine Lewis (child). Center: Millie Williams. Right: Mary Abel (toddler).
At the height of Syilx culture, about 3000 years ago, it is estimated that 12,000 people lived in this valley and surrounding areas. The Syilx employed an adaptive strategy, moving within traditional areas throughout the year to fish, hunt, or collect food, while in the winter months, they lived in semi-permanent villages of kekulis, a type of pithouse.[4]
When the Oregon Treaty partitioned the Pacific Northwest in 1846, the portion of the tribe remaining in what became Washington Territory reorganized under Chief Tonasket as a separate group from the majority of the Syilx, whose communities remain in Canada.[1] The Okanagan Tribal Alliance, however, incorporates the American branch of the Syilx. The latter are part of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville, a multi-tribal government in Washington state.[5][6]
The Upper Nicola Indian Band, a Syilx group of the Nicola Valley, which was at the northwestern perimeter of Okanagan territory, are known in their dialect as the Spaxomin, and are joint members in a historic alliance with neighbouring communities of the Nlaka'pamux in the region known as the Nicola Country, which is named after the 19th-century chief who founded the alliance, Nicola. This alliance today is manifested in the Nicola Tribal Association.[8]
Customsedit
One of the unique customs of the Okanagan people was their propensity to sing when giving thanks for food and for healing.[9]
The language of the Syilx people is Nsyilxcən. "Syilx" is at the root of the language name Nsyilxcən, surrounded by a prefix and suffix indicating a language.[10] Nsyilxcən is an Interior Salish language that is spoken across the Canadian and U.S.A. border in the regions of southern British Columbia and northern Washington.[11] This language is currently endangered and has only 50 fluent speakers remaining.[11]
^ abcdLozar, Patrick (2018-07-01). ""My Home Is on Both Sides": Indigenous Communities and the US-Canadian Border on the Columbia Plateau, 1880s–1910s". Ethnohistory. 65 (3): 391–415. doi:10.1215/00141801-4451374. ISSN 0014-1801.
^Peacock, Sandra L. (February 2008). "From complex to simple: balsamroot, inulin, and the chemistry of traditional Interior Salish pit-cooking technologyThis paper was submitted for the Special Issue on Ethnobotany, inspired by the Ethnobotany Symposium organized by Alain Cuerrier, Montréal Botanical Garden, and held in Montréal at the 2006 annual meeting of the Canadian Botanical Association/l'Association Botanique du Canada". Botany. 86 (2): 116–128. doi:10.1139/b07-111. ISSN 1916-2790.
^John D. Greenough, Murray A. Roed, ed. (2004). Okanagan Geology. Kelowna Geology Committee. pp. 71–83. ISBN0-9699795-2-5.
^Gooding, Susan Staiger (1994). "Place, Race, and Names: Layered Identities in United States v. Oregon, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Plaintiff-Intervenor". Law & Society Review. 28 (5): 1181–1229. doi:10.2307/3054027. ISSN 0023-9216. JSTOR 3054027.
^Terbasket, Pauline (2019-08-25). "Syilx Perspective on Original Foods: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow". Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development: 1–6. doi:10.5304/jafscd.2019.091.016. ISSN 2152-0801.
^Nicholas, George P. (2006). "Decolonizing the Archaeological Landscape: The Practice and Politics of Archaeology in British Columbia". The American Indian Quarterly. 30 (3): 350–380. doi:10.1353/aiq.2006.0031. ISSN 1534-1828.
^Okanagan Tribal Council; Edwards, Ken (Colville), illus. How Food Was Given. Penticton, B.C.: Theytus Books; 1984 (OCLC 15964121)(ISBN9780919441071)
^Johnson, M. K. (2012). k^sup w^u_sq^sup w^a?q^sup w^a?álx (we begin to speak): Our journey within nsyilxcn (okanagan) language revitalization. Canadian Journal of Native Education, 35(1), 79.
^ abJohnson, Sʔímlaʔx Michele K. (November 2017). "Syilx Language House: How and Why We Are Delivering 2,000 Decolonizing Hours in Nsyilxcn". Canadian Modern Language Review. 73 (4): 509–537. doi:10.3138/cmlr.4040. ISSN 0008-4506. S2CID 149072885.
^Syilx (Okanagan) Language Names: Upper Nicola Band. “Syilx Place Names.” Facebook, October 5, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1057161971367609.
Further readingedit
Armstrong, Jeannette, and Lee Maracle, Okanagan Rights Committee; Delphine Derickson, Okanagan Indian Education Resource Society, We Get Our Living Like Milk from the Land, Theytus Books, 1994
Boas, Franz (1917). Folk-tales of Salishan and Sahaptin tribes. Published for the American Folk-Lore Society by G.E. Stechert & Co. ISBN9780659903273.Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection Includes: Okanagon tales by James A. Teit and Okanagon tales by Marian K. Gould.
Carstens, Peter. The Queen's People: A Study of Hegemony, Coercion, and Accommodation Among the Okanagan of Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991. ISBN0-8020-5893-0
Robinson, Harry, and Wendy C. Wickwire. Nature Power: In the Spirit of an Okanagan Storyteller. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1992. ISBN1-55054-060-2
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Okanagan people.
The bear woman: Okanagan legend about a woman kidnapped by a grizzly bear
Dirty boy: Okanagan legend about a woman who married the sun
February 16, 2024
syilx, salishan, pronunciation, sjilx, people, also, known, okanagan, suknaqinx, okinagan, people, first, nations, native, american, people, whose, traditional, territory, spans, canada, boundary, washington, state, unceded, british, columbia, okanagan, countr. The Syilx Salishan pronunciation sjilx people also known as the Okanagan Suknaqinx or Okinagan people are a First Nations and Native American people whose traditional territory spans the Canada US boundary in Washington state and unceded British Columbia in the Okanagan Country region 1 They are part of the Interior Salish ethnological and linguistic grouping 2 3 The Okanagan are closely related to the Spokan Sinixt Nez Perce Pend Oreille Secwepemc and Nlaka pamux peoples of the same Northwest Plateau region 1 OkanaganOkanagan syilx members c 1918 Back Left Marriette Gregoire Back Center Joe Abel Back Right Tommy Gregoire Left Celestine Lewis child Center Millie Williams Right Mary Abel toddler Regions with significant populationsCanada British Columbia United States Washington LanguagesEnglish Okanagan n sel xcin Related ethnic groupsColville Sanpoil Nespelem Sinixt Wenatchi Entiat Methow Palus Sinkiuse Columbia and the Nez Perce of Chief Joseph s band Contents 1 History 2 Customs 3 Language 4 Governments 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksHistory editAt the height of Syilx culture about 3000 years ago it is estimated that 12 000 people lived in this valley and surrounding areas The Syilx employed an adaptive strategy moving within traditional areas throughout the year to fish hunt or collect food while in the winter months they lived in semi permanent villages of kekulis a type of pithouse 4 When the Oregon Treaty partitioned the Pacific Northwest in 1846 the portion of the tribe remaining in what became Washington Territory reorganized under Chief Tonasket as a separate group from the majority of the Syilx whose communities remain in Canada 1 The Okanagan Tribal Alliance however incorporates the American branch of the Syilx The latter are part of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville a multi tribal government in Washington state 5 6 The bounds of Syilx territory are roughly the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Okanagan River plus the basin of the Similkameen River to the west of the Okanagan valley and some of the uppermost valley of the Nicola River The various Syilx communities in British Columbia and Washington form the Okanagan Nation Alliance a border spanning organization which includes American side Syilx residents in the Colville Indian Reservation where the Syilx are sometimes known as Colvilles 7 1 The Upper Nicola Indian Band a Syilx group of the Nicola Valley which was at the northwestern perimeter of Okanagan territory are known in their dialect as the Spaxomin and are joint members in a historic alliance with neighbouring communities of the Nlaka pamux in the region known as the Nicola Country which is named after the 19th century chief who founded the alliance Nicola This alliance today is manifested in the Nicola Tribal Association 8 Customs editOne of the unique customs of the Okanagan people was their propensity to sing when giving thanks for food and for healing 9 Language editMain article Okanagan language The language of the Syilx people is Nsyilxcen Syilx is at the root of the language name Nsyilxcen surrounded by a prefix and suffix indicating a language 10 Nsyilxcen is an Interior Salish language that is spoken across the Canadian and U S A border in the regions of southern British Columbia and northern Washington 11 This language is currently endangered and has only 50 fluent speakers remaining 11 Governments editOkanagan Nation Alliance 12 Westbank First Nation Westbank Tqleniw t Sn qatqleniw t Lower Similkameen Indian Band Keremeos N iʔxʷin aʔ Upper Similkameen Indian Band Keremeos Tk r miw s Osoyoos Indian Band Swiw s Penticton Indian Band Sn pin tktn Okanagan Indian Band Vernon N k maplqs Upper Nicola Indian Band Douglas Lake also part of the Nicola Tribal Association Spax mn Confederated Tribes of the Colville sx ʷy ʔilpx sqlxʷulaʔxʷ See also editOkanagan Trail Nicola Okanagan leader Mourning Dove author References edit a b c d Lozar Patrick 2018 07 01 My Home Is on Both Sides Indigenous Communities and the US Canadian Border on the Columbia Plateau 1880s 1910s Ethnohistory 65 3 391 415 doi 10 1215 00141801 4451374 ISSN 0014 1801 Noonan Michael Mattina Anthony June 1989 Colville Okanagan Dictionary Language 65 2 433 doi 10 2307 415365 ISSN 0097 8507 JSTOR 415365 Peacock Sandra L February 2008 From complex to simple balsamroot inulin and the chemistry of traditional Interior Salish pit cooking technologyThis paper was submitted for the Special Issue on Ethnobotany inspired by the Ethnobotany Symposium organized by Alain Cuerrier Montreal Botanical Garden and held in Montreal at the 2006 annual meeting of the Canadian Botanical Association l Association Botanique du Canada Botany 86 2 116 128 doi 10 1139 b07 111 ISSN 1916 2790 John D Greenough Murray A Roed ed 2004 Okanagan Geology Kelowna Geology Committee pp 71 83 ISBN 0 9699795 2 5 Dulic Aleksandra Thorogood Miles Sam Marlowe Correia Maria Alexis Sarah Armstrong Jeanette 2023 11 20 Okanagan Waterways Past Present and Future Approaching Sustainability through Immersive Museum Exhibition Sustainability 15 22 16109 doi 10 3390 su152216109 ISSN 2071 1050 Gooding Susan Staiger 1994 Place Race and Names Layered Identities in United States v Oregon Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Plaintiff Intervenor Law amp Society Review 28 5 1181 1229 doi 10 2307 3054027 ISSN 0023 9216 JSTOR 3054027 Terbasket Pauline 2019 08 25 Syilx Perspective on Original Foods Yesterday Today and Tomorrow Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development 1 6 doi 10 5304 jafscd 2019 091 016 ISSN 2152 0801 Nicholas George P 2006 Decolonizing the Archaeological Landscape The Practice and Politics of Archaeology in British Columbia The American Indian Quarterly 30 3 350 380 doi 10 1353 aiq 2006 0031 ISSN 1534 1828 Okanagan Tribal Council Edwards Ken Colville illus How Food Was Given Penticton B C Theytus Books 1984 OCLC 15964121 ISBN 9780919441071 Johnson M K 2012 k sup w u sq sup w a q sup w a alx we begin to speak Our journey within nsyilxcn okanagan language revitalization Canadian Journal of Native Education 35 1 79 a b Johnson Sʔimlaʔx Michele K November 2017 Syilx Language House How and Why We Are Delivering 2 000 Decolonizing Hours in Nsyilxcn Canadian Modern Language Review 73 4 509 537 doi 10 3138 cmlr 4040 ISSN 0008 4506 S2CID 149072885 Syilx Okanagan Language Names Upper Nicola Band Syilx Place Names Facebook October 5 2020 https www facebook com watch v 1057161971367609 Further reading editArmstrong Jeannette and Lee Maracle Okanagan Rights Committee Delphine Derickson Okanagan Indian Education Resource Society We Get Our Living Like Milk from the Land Theytus Books 1994 Boas Franz 1917 Folk tales of Salishan and Sahaptin tribes Published for the American Folk Lore Society by G E Stechert amp Co ISBN 9780659903273 Available online through the Washington State Library s Classics in Washington History collection Includes Okanagon tales by James A Teit and Okanagon tales by Marian K Gould Carstens Peter The Queen s People A Study of Hegemony Coercion and Accommodation Among the Okanagan of Canada Toronto University of Toronto Press 1991 ISBN 0 8020 5893 0 Robinson Harry and Wendy C Wickwire Nature Power In the Spirit of an Okanagan Storyteller Vancouver Douglas amp McIntyre 1992 ISBN 1 55054 060 2External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Okanagan people nbsp Wikisource has the text of the 1905 New International Encyclopedia article Okinagan Map of Okanagan territory Okanagan Tribal Alliance Homepage Syilx org Original People a Syilx account of their history Westbank First Nation homepage Okanagan Indian Band homepage Penticton Indian Band homepage Osoyoos Indian Band homepage Lower Similkameen Indian Band homepage Upper Nicola Indian Band homepage The bear woman Okanagan legend about a woman kidnapped by a grizzly bear Dirty boy Okanagan legend about a woman who married the sun Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Syilx amp oldid 1207413244, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
