snx̌aʔiwləm gathering celebrates salmon and their revival in syilx Okanagan waterways

Community members from across the syilx Okanagan Nation gathered last week for their annual autumn salmon feast, to honour ntytyix (Chief Salmon) and to celebrate successes restoring the fish to their ancestral waterways.

The Sept. 22 event concluded the Okanagan Nation Alliance’s three-day snx̌aʔiwləm (honouring the sacredness of the river) gathering at sx̌ʷəx̌ʷnitkʷ (Okanagan Falls), an ancient fishing site reclaimed by the nation last year.

“It was a good run for our people this year,” said Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie (y̓ilmixʷm ki law na) before the feast. “It was so cool to see so many of our people … fishing like our people have fished here for thousands of years.”

This year’s ceremonies were particularly celebratory — as the ONA’s decades-long salmon restoration efforts are paying off to bring several species back to syilx waterways.

Last month, ONA scientists recorded the return of the first chinook salmon in years to the lake, swimming roughly 1,000 kilometres from the sea, after decades blocked by dams. In August, the nation helped re-introduce sockeye into Arrow Lakes for the first time in 80 years. And last spring, Youth in 60 local schools released thousands of juvenile sockeye and chinook into waterways throughout syilx territory.

The salmon feast brought together families from different nations and cultures, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. 

syilx fishers, including Youth, harvested the sc̓win (sockeye) from nk’mip (Osoyoos Lake) in July.

“We thank you gorgeous people for being here,” said syilx Elder cəqcqalx̌qn (Arnie Baptist). 

The day began with participants forming a circle, as the year’s first salmon offering was placed into the centre accompanied by drum songs. 

Community members lined up to receive a piece of cooked salmon. cəqcqalx̌qn encouraged attendees to say a prayer, or to think about their own path, as they went up one-by-one.

“You need a healing feeling; when you come by, remember who you love,” Baptist said. “All of these organizers brought forth something to bless us with — we don’t take that lightly.”

After the first offering of salmon, members of the community lined up with plates at a food tent to begin the feast. 

The event’s hosts said any bones and skin left over from the feast would be collected and offered into the waters.

After eating, participants approached the river shores for a water ceremony, where leftover salmon was offered with prayers for the nation’s waters and all beings they give life to.

As people lined up at the Okanagan River’s edge, they were brushed with wet fir boughs.

“We can be thankful that we’re going to end another day together,” Baptist said after the ceremony. “Whatever little knowledge that we have — we hold on to that dearly.” 

Prayers for the land and water

The gathering from Sept. 20 to 22 also included multiple events, including stick games, a canoe paddle, and educational booths for initiatives such as Bringing the Salmon Home.

To kick off the annual celebrations, a group of motorcycle riders, among them Chief Louie, embarked south to the “U.S.,” from sx̌ʷəx̌ʷnitkʷ to “Long Beach, Washington.”

They followed the weaving and winding route of the Columbia River, and throughout their journey held ceremonies and prayers to bring salmon back to the species’ historical range. 

The bikers returned the same day as other syilx members paddled in canoes from Skaha Lake back to sx̌ʷəx̌ʷnitkʷ. Before hitting the water, they offered tobacco. 

Herman Edward, of Lower Similkameen Indian Band, helped plan the journey and carved some of its canoes. He told participants the annual paddle reminds the nation’s children why their ancestral boats and waterways are so important.

“Every pull you make is a prayer — you’re praying for everything that exists on the land,” Edward, a founder and organizer of the annual Sukʷnaqin July 4th Canoe Journey, explained. “Without water, we cannot live.”

He added it’s crucial to remind the wider community — especially settlers — to pray and take care of water, too.

“This work is something that will make you proud that you were a part of it one day,” Edward said. “You’re going to remember — as young people — this as an important time that you went on this water.

“We don’t know what’s in the future; that’s why this prayer is important.”