National Indigenous Peoples Day 2020

On June 18, 2020, ODHS Heritage Assistants Abby Teigen and Michaela Mills had the opportunity to interview two people from Indigenous communities in the Oliver area. During the interview, they discussed what it means to be part of a band in the 21st century. Abby and Michaela interviewed Jeremy Crowe and Taylor Baptiste, who both work at Southern Okanagan Secondary School as Indigenous Education Advocates. Jeremy is a member of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band and Taylor is a member of the Osoyoos Indian Band of the Okanagan Nation. Together they have helped create a safe and fun space for Indigenous students to thrive in their education and a place to connect with other students and to celebrate their heritage.

What does it mean to be part of a band today?

Both Taylor and Jeremy agreed that the most important part of being in a band is the sense of having a large extended family, knowing they have people they could turn to outside of their immediate family and who they trust. Jeremy answered, “ Being part of the band is just who I am. My brother is actually the Chief there (the Lower Similkameen Indian Band) so I get to hear all the sides of things when it comes up at the dinner table. Being part of it, I know I can go there if I need it. It’s the bigger family picture.” There is no part of his life where the band is not somewhat involved. 

What are the challenges you face?

Stereotypes remain the biggest challenge. Most are falsely portrayed in movies, TV shows, books and media. Stereotypes continue to be fueled by a lack of education and ignorance. 

Being part of two different cultural worlds is also a challenge as both Taylor and Jeremy have one parent who is Indigenous and another who is not. There is a sense of not being fully immersed in either culture. Taylor said, “The thing I struggle with the most personally is the feeling of walking in two worlds because my dad is Indigenous and my mom is not. So in certain situations I don’t know my language or know all of my culture, so if I am in a non-Indigenous community, I am definitely the Indigenous person. I have the genetic markers and know some of my culture. Whereas when I am in a room full of nsyilxcən speakers I barely understand what they are saying, it is always the feeling of the in-between.”  Jeremy reflected back to his childhood when he and his family had just gotten their status early in his elementary school years. “When I went to school in grade 1 or 2 I said, ‘Oh, I guess I’m an Indian now.’ And then I noticed racism. Kids would say, ‘Oh, we can’t play with you because we are cowboys.’ So there was this huge thing (idea of racism) that has been in my mind ever since that happened. So yeah, living in two worlds is different. Because you can get along with either. I never really grew up on the reserve, I know all of my cousins, I grew up with them sometimes. But I have always had my outside friends too. So there were two different worlds… And creating my own identity, only in the last 15 years have I really got a better understanding of my culture and learning the details and the history of who I am.” 

How do you feel that you have been shaped by being part of the band?

Jeremy and Taylor explained that the bands have influenced who they are today. Taylor has taken many of the opportunities presented to her by the Osoyoos Indian Band, from workshops for personal development (social, emotional, etc.) to being involved in school or sports such as archery. “This is something I've kind of thought about over the years.  I've wondered what I would have turned out to be as a person if I didn't have the band and I can't even imagine what my life would be like because in all of those different aspects, it has influenced me and helped guide me to who I am now. For example, in school, I was always a part of the Indigenous language program, I would participate in the Indigenous school events that would be put on here in our district and personally outside of school they had an archery program that I joined when I was younger. So that gave me things to do after school with community members, and archery ties you back to traditional hunting protocols and we would travel and compete across Canada and that provided me with a lot of opportunities.” Jeremy sought out opportunities that his affiliation with the band provided, such as support with his post-secondary education. He found employment through the band many times which provided him with experience that helped him decide what career path he wanted to pursue. With his work experience he said, “I really got to learn a lot of the band’s politics, whether it be health or education or natural resource issues. I know that there’s always opportunities there if I ask.”

Having this involvement shaped Jeremy and Taylor’s connections to their community and heritage.

Do you feel connected to your culture or heritage by being involved with the band?

Taylor answered, “Absolutely, being raised on the reserve and in the community, that is the foundation for my life. Being connected to the land here and in the desert, hunting, fishing, gathering, just being out in the sagebrush and the mountains and the water. That has created the foundation of my whole life. Being with your whole community.” 

Jeremy answered, “Connected to the culture and heritage by being on the land. I worked in natural resources for several years in my band and that connected me to the land, working with the elders and traditional knowledge-keepers learning on the land and taking them on tours. It was the most amazing time to jump in a truck with a bunch of elders and listen to them tell stories in the language. Even though I couldn’t understand, it was just awesome to be around that. Then walking on the land, they can see the land in a different way than I could. That gave me those opportunities to learn hands-on. Being able to have that knowledge is just amazing.”

How do you feel the perception of your community could improve?

Taylor responded, “The perception of the Osoyoos Indian Band is only as businesses. We are more than that, a lot of people think that because of the success of our [economic] development, we are immune to the socio-economic issues that are on reserves across Canada. There is inter-generational trauma, from survivors of residential schools and things like that on every reserve, with that comes some weight. So definitely recognising those inter-generational roles.” She then continued, “We (OIB) have a very large community, with a lot of large families. These families all get together a lot, but as a community, we could mingle [with] all of the families more than we do now.” 

Jeremy believed that the LSIB could improve by bringing families together to work towards a certain goal. Lots of groups of people have great ideas, but they don’t tend to work towards the same or similar goals. He also suggested helping address the high unemployment rates in the band. “Creating jobs on our reserve, creating opportunities would be amazing and hopefully would help some of the underlying drug and alcohol issues, or inter-generational issues, and to create a more healthy community.” 

How do you feel that your community can grow?

Taylor reflected on this question and said, “It starts at home. How you want to lead your everyday life. I know for me, my dad is a residential school survivor and I know it has affected him. And knowing what my dad has been through, that has impacted me, but I know that I’m going to raise my kids … Our parents teach us both how to parent, and sometimes how not to parent.  Making these choices will determine how to raise our kids. . It has to start at home and how you choose to lead your life and lead by example for the next generation. So that they can become strong and healthy.”

Jeremy added, “It’s like me and my kids, they are 13 and 16 now but I know I am doing better than my parents did. Even though I knew I had a pretty good upbringing but I knew, my parents did suffer from alcoholism till they were in their 30s and then they quit. But I grew up with that so I didn’t put my kids through that… So, we always try to do better for our kids than our parents did for us.”

Places and Meanings

The Okanagan and Similkameen have been inhabited by Indigenous people since time immemorial. Places had names, meanings, and significance to the Syilx people long before European immigrants came to the area. Talking about the boundaries of the district where Oliver lies, Abby and Michaela asked, in respect to the groups who resided here before any European immigrants, what were the place names and meanings before English names were put in place? 

Taylor and Jeremy were unable to provide this exact information, but pointed us in the direction of someone who could. While that person did not wish to be named, they told Michaela and Abby that: “Syilx” is the name of the Okanagan people, it originates from the word Salish because the language is very similar to that of the Salish people; the “X” at the end of Syilx signifies that it is a group of people. The only lake in Oliver is Tuc-el-nuit and it means “laid lake,” the lake is beside a river and between hillsides making it a special geographical landmark. “Nk’Mip” is the area surrounding Osoyoos and Oliver, it means “bottom land” and signifies that it is located within the topographically unique Okanagan Valley. In 2015, the OIB requested that the name McIntyre Bluff be changed back to its traditional name of “nʕaylintn.” This is a significant change and an encouraging step towards a brighter future. 

National Indigenous Peoples Day

Abby and Michaela asked what people should take away from National Indigenous Peoples Day. Taylor and Jeremy both gave great answers that pointed towards not being ignorant towards local Indigenous peoples and their lands. They challenge everyone to get to know the area they are living in or even visiting.  Educate yourself about the community that surrounds you. Challenge yourself to get to know the territory, band, what traditional language they speak, their creation stories, etc. 

Taylor explained, “A lot of people may just see this as, you know, coming to Oliver, the Wine Capital of Canada, but you're within Okanagan territory and we have our 4 food chiefs and all of these awesome things about our culture. I find that sometimes people think that, ‘Oh, it's not my place,’ and a lot of people are scared to ask questions because they don’t want to offend or break protocols, but I don't mind answering any questions. I would rather have people ask and try to learn and build those relationships than for both of us to just stay silent. I want to bridge the communities there and encourage yourself to learn about what's going on with your local First Nations, what they are celebrating, anything going on and participating in the community together with Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.” 

In conclusion, just be curious. Ask the hard questions and actively listen to the answers, even if those answers are difficult to hear. It opens a dialogue and creates a better and more understanding relationship between different communities. Remember that it is not enough to just be curious once a year, on National Indigenous Peoples Day. Instead, put yourself into a mindset where you can apply it to your everyday life throughout the year! 

A huge thank you to Taylor and Jeremy for their kindness and generosity in meeting with us for this interview and providing quotes for this article.