The Syilx () people, also known as the Okanagan, Suknaqinx, or Okinagan people, are a

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

and Native American people whose traditional territory spans the Canada–US boundary in

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

and unceded

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

in the

Okanagan Country The Okanagan Country, also known as the Okanagan Valley, is a region located in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington (where it is spelled the Okanogan ...

region. They are part of the

Interior Salish The Interior Salish languages are one of the two main branches of the Salishan language family, the other being Coast Salish. It can be further divided into Northern and Southern subbranches. The first Interior Salish people encountered by Ameri ...

ethnological and linguistic grouping. The Okanagan are closely related to the Spokan,

Sinixt The Sinixt"Sinixt Nation…" (; also known as the Sin-Aikst or Sin Aikst,Reyes 2002, ''passim.'' "Senijextee", "Arrow Lakes Band", or—less commonly in recent decades—simply as "The Lakes") are a First Nations People. The Sinixt are d ...

Nez Perce The Nez Perce (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning 'we, the people') are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who still live on a fraction of the lands on the southeastern Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest. This region h ...

, Pend Oreille, Secwepemc and

Nlaka'pamux The Nlakaʼpamux or Nlakapamuk ( ; ), also previously known as the ''Thompson'', '' Thompson River Salish'', ''Thompson Salish'', ''Thompson River Indians'' or ''Thompson River people'', and historically as the ''Klackarpun'', ''Haukamaugh'', ''K ...

peoples of the same Northwest Plateau region.

History

At the height of Okanagan 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 A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...

of kekulis, a type of pithouse. In Nsyilxcn pit house is q̓ʷc̓iʔ. When the

Oregon Treaty The Oregon Treaty was a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to ...

partitioned the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

in 1846, the portion of the tribe remaining in what became

Washington Territory The Washington Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

reorganized under Chief Tonasket as a separate group from the majority of the Syilx, whose communities remain in Canada. 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. The bounds of Syilx territory are roughly the basin of

Okanagan Lake Okanagan Lake () is a lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. The lake is long, between wide, and has a surface area of 348 km2 (135 sq. mi.). Hydrography Okanagan Lake is called a fjord lake as it has been carved o ...

and the

Okanagan River The Okanogan River (known as the Okanagan River in Canada) is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 115 mi (185 km) long, in southern British Columbia and north central Washington. It drains a scenic plateau region called t ...

, plus the basin of the Similkameen River to the west of the

Okanagan valley The Okanagan ( ), also called the Okanagan Valley and sometimes the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of t ...

, and some of the uppermost valley of the

Nicola River The Nicola River , originally French Rivière de Nicholas or Rivière de Nicolas, adapted to Nicolas River, Nicola's River in English, is one of the major tributaries of the Thompson River in the Canadian province of British Columbia, entering the ...

. The various Syilx communities in

and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

form the

Okanagan Nation Alliance 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 Reserva ...

, a border-spanning organization which includes American-side Syilx residents in the

Colville Indian Reservation The Colville Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation located in Washington (state), Washington state, U.S. It is inhabited and managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which are List of federally recognized tribes in ...

, where the Syilx are sometimes known as Colvilles. 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

in the region known as the

Nicola Country The Nicola Country, also known as the Nicola Valley and often referred to simply as The Nicola, and originally Nicolas' Country or Nicholas' Country, adapted to Nicola's Country and simplified since, is a region in the British Columbia Interior, S ...

, which is named after the 19th-century chief who founded the alliance, Nicola. This alliance today is manifested in the

Nicola Tribal Association Nicola may refer to: People * Nicola (name), including a list of people with the given name or, less commonly, the surname ** Nicola (artist) or Nicoleta Alexandru, singer who represented Romania at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest * Nicola peopl ...

Governments

Westbank First Nation The Westbank First Nation () is a self-governing First Nations band in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada, and is one of eight bands that comprise the Okanagan Nation Alliance of Syilx people. Westbank First Nation (WFN) is govern ...

(Westbank) (t''qłəníw̓t/sn̓qatqłəníw̓t'') **

Lower Similkameen Indian Band The Lower Similkameen Indian Band or Lower Smelqmix (), is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations band government in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Their office was in the village of Keremeos, British Columbia, Keremeos in the Similka ...

(Keremeos) (n̓''iʔxʷín̓aʔ'') ** Upper Similkameen Indian Band (Keremeos) (t''k̓r̓miw̓s'') ** Osoyoos Indian Band (s''wiw̓s'') ** Penticton Indian Band (s''n̓pin̓tktn̓'') **

Okanagan Indian Band The Okanagan Indian Band () is a First Nations government in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located in the city of Vernon in the northern Okanagan Valley. The band is a member government of the Okanagan Nation Alliance. Current Chie ...

(Vernon) (n̓''k̓maplqs'') ** Upper Nicola Indian Band (Douglas Lake) - also part of the

(s''pax̌mn̓'') ** Confederated Tribes of the Colville (''sx̌ʷy̓ʔiłpx sqlxʷúlaʔxʷ'')

Language

The language of the Syilx people is Nsyilxcn. "Syilx" is at the root of the language name Nsyilxcn, surrounded by a circumfix indicating a language. When writing Nsyilxcn, no capital letters are used. Nsyilxcn is an Interior Salish language that is spoken across the

Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

in the regions of southern British Columbia and northern Washington. This language is currently endangered and has only 50 fluent speakers remaining. For learners in K-12 system, there are six band-operated schools and three community schools that teach the nsyilxcn language. * sensisyustən School, Westbank First Nation * ntamɬqən School, Lower Similkameen Indian Band * sənpaqcin School, Osoyoos Indian Band * outma sqilxʷ School, Penticton Indian Band * nk̓mapəlqs iʔ snmaʔmayaʔtn k̓əl sqilxʷtət, Okanagan Indian Band * nkʷala School, Upper Nicola Indian Band * Waterfall School, Omak, non-profit organization in Colville * Pascal Sherman Indian School, Omak, federally funded Indian school in Colville * Salish School of Spokane, non-profit corporation in Colville * snp̓aʔaxʷíltn Immersion School, Spokane, non-profit organization in Colville

Population history

According to

James Teit James Alexander Teit (15 April 1864 — 30 October 1922) was an anthropologist, photographer and guide who worked with Franz Boas to study Interior Salish First Nations peoples in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He led expeditions throu ...

the "Okanagon Indians" included the "Okanagon", "Sanpoil", "Colville", and "Lake" peoples as they all spoke Nsyilxcn or Nsəlxcin. He estimated their historical population to be at least 8,500 though the likelihood of 10,000 or more is reasonable based on the information he received from tribal members. They estimated their population to have been at least four times what it was at the turn of the 20th century. A 1903 Canadian report and a 1905 American report collectively estimated the population at 2,579.

References

External links

Map of Okanagan territoryOkanagan 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
* ttp://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/DirtyBoy-Okanagon.html Dirty boy: Okanagan legend about a woman who married the sun {{authority control Interior Salish Native American history of Washington (state) History of British Columbia Native American tribes in Washington (state)