Read the fact sheet here: River Guardian Fact Sheet

 

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Calling all Syilx Okanagan Nation Member 2020 graduates! If you are graduating or know someone who is graduating please complete the google form: https://forms.gle/gRZW6ey3LiJknQZXA The Okanagan Nation Alliance would like to recognize and acknowledge all Syilx Okanagan Nation members who are graduating this year. If you are graduating or know someone who is graduating please […]

UPDATE: ONA RESPONSE TO COVID-19 tkwəɬniwt (Westbank), Syilx Okanagan Territory: On March 18, 2020, as of today, ONA offices are only open for staff. Over the next few days, ONA staff will be transitioning to working from home as much as possible to mitigate risks and to ensure we do our part in keeping Nation […]

All service recipients and contractors in ONA workplaces are requested to please refrain from in person visits to ONA offices, workplaces and worksites, and to utilize phone calls, conference calls, e-mail or any other form of electronic messaging as means of communication with the ONA, until further notice. Travel outside of Canada is not advised. […]

tkwəɬniwt (Westbank), Syilx Territory:     The Syilx Okanagan Nation stands in solidarity with the Hereditary Chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en in their meetings with the federal and provincial governments on Wet’suwet’en Territory. In the wake of provincial legislation applying the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) to BC laws and the federal government’s […]

The Okanagan Nation Alliance is proud to announce our new book, qʷʕay snk̓lip Blue Coyote by Billie Kruger, which will be launched at the Okanagan Nation Wellness Gathering November 20, 2019. Billie is an Okanagan Nation interdisciplinary artist from the Okanagan Indian Band. She studied at the En’owkin Center and Paul Creek Language Association and […]

Brittany Mullin Brittany has completed her Bachelor of Dental Science at UBC Vancouver, and is setting her sights on the next academic endeavor. In September 2019 Brittany will begin a Master’s in Public Health program at The University of Victoria. She wishes to broaden her lens and work more with communities, helping those who may […]

tkwəɬniwt (Westbank), Syilx Territory: From August 27-28, 2019, the Okanagan Nation hosted the ‘Purple Ribbon Campaign Caravan” as part of International Overdose Awareness Day. This Caravan saw people from across the Syilx Okanagan territory rally and travel to various communities, sharing resources and bringing awareness to the issue of the pervasive drug and opioid crisis […]

tkwəɬniwt (Westbank), Syilx Territory: On July 31, 2019, the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) will host the “Syilx Well-Being: Nation Drug Forum”. This Drug Forum is part of a broader stream of work carried out by the ONA that affirms our continued commitment to bring awareness to the issue of the pervasive drug and opioid crisis […]

tkwəɬniwt (Westbank), Syilx Territory: The ONA congratulates Syilx Okanagan Nation member, Coralee Miller, as the artist of the 2019 Okanagan Nation Salmon Feast logo. Every year the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) has a Nation community member create an original design to represent the annual Okanagan Nation Salmon Feast. As Coralee states ” I am of […]

In the spirit of partnership and reconciliation, a landmark agreement to explore salmon reintroduction into the Columbia River Basin between the Syilx Okanagan, Ktunaxa and Secwepemc Indigenous Nations, Canada and British Columbia was signed today in Castlegar. The Letter of Agreement is a commitment by the five governments to collaborate on exploring the reintroduction of […]

Upholding their mandate to protect and advance Syilx People’s Title and Rights, the Chiefs Executive Council has been negotiating with Canada at a Recognition of Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination table. We know who we are. Through this process, the government of Canada can finally and formally tell itself and all of its bodies to recognize […]

Way’ Chiefs, Councillors and Membership, Following the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) Annual General Assembly of July 17-18, 2019, it is important to emphasize that the proposed Recognition Agreement process is one of de-colonization where we as members of the Syilx Nation finally hold the power to decide how we are to govern our collectively-held territorial […]

tkwəɬniwt (Westbank), Syilx Okanagan Territory: The Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) is proud to announce that our Annual General Assembly (AGA) will take place from July 17-18, 2019. This event provides Syilx Okanagan people with the opportunity to gather as a Nation, celebrate the many successes that have taken place for our people over the last […]

As of July 9, 2019, about 57,875 Sockeye have entered the Columbia River. It is estimated that 75-85% will return to the Okanagan. In total, we are anticipating there will be 60,000 sockeye returning to the Columbia, with 45,000 to 51,000 sockeye heading to the Okanagan. These low returns are a result of poor migration […]

sɬuxʷqaynm (Castlegar), Syilx Territory: On June 24, 2019, as part of the Okanagan Nation Alliance’s (ONA) ongoing effort to bring salmon back to the Upper Columbia, a sockeye fry release and cpu taʔstm iʔ xaʔxʔitət uɬ ck ́aʕxtm iʔ ntytyix Salmon Ceremony took place at Millennium Park in sɬuxʷqaynm, BC. These actions are central to Syilx […]

tkwəɬniwt (Westbank), Syilx Okanagan Territory: The Chiefs of the Syilx Okanagan Nation welcome the May 2, 2019 decision of the British Columbia Court of Appeal in R. v. Desautel, recognizing and protecting Sinixt Aboriginal hunting rights in B.C. Sinixt are inextricably linked to our broader Syilx Okanagan Nation, sharing common language, culture, history, traditions and […]

The BC Wildfire Service, the Okanagan Nation Alliance and the Lower Similkameen Indian Band plan to conduct a 192-hectare prescribed burn near Crater Mountain, about 15 kilometres west of Keremeos. The burn is the first phase of a comprehensive, multi-year project that is intended to improve bighorn sheep habitat, reduce wildfire threats to nearby communities […]

scʕaxans nhithitwəl̓ (Peachland Watershed), Syilx Territory: On March 22, 2019, as part of World Water Day, the Okanagan Nation hosted the 5th annual siwɬkʷ (Water) Forum. This year’s theme was ‘Collaborative Approach to Water Resiliency: Protecting Our Headwaters’, and in collaboration with the Town of Peachland, focused on the health and protection of the scʕaxans […]

As part of Budget 2019, First Nations in British Columbia will have a stable, long-term source of funding to invest in their communities’ priorities, through a historic revenue-sharing agreement between the Province and the First Nations Leadership Council. Starting April 2019, approximately $3 billion over 25 years will be shared with B.C. First Nations, meaning […]