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ONA People
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The Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) was
formed in 1981 as the inaugural First Nations government
in the Okanagan which represents the 8 member
communities including; Okanagan Indian Band, Upper
Nicola Band, Westbank First Nation, Penticton Indian
Band, Osoyoos Indian Band and Lower and Upper
Similkameen Indian Bands and the Colville Confederated
Tribes on areas of common concern. Each community is
represented through the Chiefs Executive Council (CEC)
by their Chief or Chairman. The ONA mandate is to work
collectively to advance and assert Okanagan nation Title
and Rights over the Okanagan Nation Territory.
The Syilx People Okanagan (Syilx) people have been here
since time immemorial, long before the arrival of the
Settlers.
The word “Syilx” takes its meaning from several
different images. The root word “Yil” refers to the
action of taking any kind of many-stranded fiber, like
hemp, and rolling it and twisting it together to make
one unit, or one rope. It is a process of making many
into one. “Yil” is a root word which forms the basis of
many of our words for leadership positions, as well.
Syilx contains a command for every individual to
continuously bind and unify with the rest. This command
goes beyond only humans and encompasses all stands of
life that make up our land. The word Syilx contains the
image of rolling or unifying into one, as well as the
individual command which is indicated by the “x” at the
end of the word which indicates that it is a command
directed at the individual level. The command is for
every individual to be part of that stranded unified
group, and to continue that twisting and unification on
a continuous basis. It is an important concept which
underlies our consideration of the meanings of
aboriginal title and rights.
The Okanagan (syilx) people occupy an area which extends
over approximately 69 000 square kilometers. The
northern area of this territory is close to the area of
Mica Creek, just north of Revelstoke, BC, and the
eastern boundary is Kootenay Lake. The southern boundary
extends to the vicinity of Wilbur, Washington and the
western border extends into the Nicola Valley.
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