syilx Cultural Arts Programming

Since 1982, the Okanagan Indian Educational Resources Society (OIERS) hereinafter referred to as En'owkin Centre has been mandated to Preserve, Protect and Perpetuate the Okanagan syilx cultural heritage, through the collection and preservation and protection of heritage materials, oral language, oral stories, narrative history, photographs, through video and audio recordings, made accessible to syilx communities and members.

We are a Registered Charity if you would like to donate to our organization please contact Executive Manager Arts, Culture Adult Higher Learning Tracey Kim Bonneau EMAIL: achlmanager@enowkincentre.ca




En'owkin Centre's has been dedicated to it’s work since 1982 to preserve and perpetuate syilx cultural arts recovery as part of our ongoing work to provide resources and programs for syilx communties and individuals. Our programs are designed to ensure syilx heritage, reviltilization and preservation is at the foundation to develop and implement community based programs, which focus on the needs of the community and are controlled and monitored at the community level. Our programs are supported through partnerships, grants, donations. Our syilx cultural arts workshops are available for syilx elders, youth and artists are free to give access to all syilx members' families and communities.




Elder with Tule

 



All Programs include



  • Professional Development: syilx performance traditional music & story
  • Learning on the land with youth, elders and cultural arts knowledge holders
  • c'aptikwl workshops in partnership with Okanagan Nation Alliance and communities
  • Revitalization of Rattle Making, Weaving, syilx Basketry & syilx Fish Net
  • Traditional syilx Story Pole Carving, Tool Making
  • c'aptikwl digital animation Workshops to bring youth and fluent speakers together
  • Digital Archive Video-Audio recording sessions with fluent speakers
  • Traditional syilx arts materials protocols workshops



Working with rawhide









Traditional Arts Workshops: Tule, Hemp, Basket Making, Rattles, Hand Drum Making, Ceremonial Wear, Flute Making, Carving, Traditional paints, syilx style beading, Porcupine Quill work, syilx storytelling & Performance protocols, Traditional syilx uses protocols of materials.

Our digitization programming consists of ongoing documentation in the format of digital video-audio. Recordings of syilx fluent elders speakers are organized in community cohorts to preserve the critically endangered nsyilxcen language, with their full prior informed consent. The content is archived in perpetuity and shared with syilx communities. Ongoing capacity building consists of cataloging, transcribing and translating the resources to be housed at OIERS En'owkin Centre. This archival work is to create access for syilx educational, cultural revitalization initiaves for the nsyilxcen langauge. Digital recordings are community specific and include special terminology and archival information for heritage and historical preservation. Our cultural organization acts as a repository for syilx communities to access far into the future. The collection of stories, narratives, oral knowledge and historical accounts will be transferred and catalogued for member's access and use in perpetuity.





For More information on Cultural Arts and Language Projects Contact:

Catherine Pierre - Syilx Cultural Arts Coordinator
Phone: (250) 493-7181

Tracey Kim Bonneau - Executive Manager of Arts Culture & Adult Higher Learning
Phone: (250) 493-7181 Ext. 208




We gratefully acknowledge project funds from the Government of Canada, First People's Cultural Council, Telus and Fortis BC





Copyright © EN'OWKIN CENTRE. All rights reserved.