The original Sylix people knew the meaning of conservation and they preserved the lands for future generations. By original, I mean our Sylix ancestors.

Our people moved freely between the south, north, west and eastern parts of their territory. Back then, they were considered to be more nomadic than today. They never lived in one area or camp for very long.

My grandmother told me the place now called Spaxomen was the place the people made camp in the early spring and summer, because of the access to water, fish, and hunting as well as berries like Saskatoons and Chokecherries. It was also only about a half day of travel by horse back to one of their bitter root picking areas.

The people made use of every available item around their camp. They roasted their wild game over an open fire and used the limbs from the chokecherry tree as a tool to insert through the meat and place it over the flames. My dad Billy McLeod often used this method when we were out range riding and had to cook our meal over an open fire.

When I mention “original Sylix” I mean the original people who had the blood line of Sylix, who knew the language, culture and traditional ways. This would date back many centuries to the people who lived and roamed their known territories.

They knew every creek, every river and most of all, their hunting and fishing grounds. They knew the best places to pick berries, medicines, and roots. These traditional food gathering areas were shared by all the Sylix people.

Protocol was set into place by the original Sylix from centuries past. They told other tribes “We are the Sylix people. We have the right to our lands in our territories, to fish, to hunt, to gather our traditional foods.” They asked other tribes to honor and respect the protocol by not hunting or fishing without permission from our tribal chief or head person.

Today, this protocol is not in practice. People just go and hunt or gather traditional foods where ever they like or when ever they like, and never think about the generations yet to be born.

In the spring and summer, the people would settle down at Spaxomen, now called Upper Nicola. The men and boys being trained to hunt would go on their hunting trips. Sometimes they camped for several days until they had enough game to bring back to the big camp.

The women also had chores to do. They planned their outdoor classroom, where the girls, and young women would learn skills. The older women would delegate one group to gather bitter roots, while another group would be ready to tan hides once the men came back from hunting.

They also gathered berries, separated them and placed them on wooden racks to air dry.

When the time to fish was right, the women and men did this as a team. Young people prepared special tools for air drying the fish. They used a certain type of grass, which dried in a spiral and was inserted into the fish so the fish would remain open as it was hung from the racks on where they air dried.

There was always work to be done. Dry wood had to be gathered for fire, water packed for cooking and washing.

The bitter root crew would learn as they picked how to use the root pick, and how to lift the root from the ground without bruising or breaking them. They cleaned the bitter root right at their site so the root would be clean and ready to use for a meal.

Long before the European people arrived here, the Sylix had no yearly calendar like the one used today. Instead, there were thirteen seasonal indicators of what happened in each period of time. We have always been very connected to the land and all of its natural inhabitants. To us, all living things are of equal importance for survival.

My dad used to talk to me in our Sylix language as we rode horse back or if I was helping him with something in the fields. I am glad I was able to spend time with my dad, and my mom. My dad and my mom are both Sylix, therefore I am Sylix. I know my family lineage, and my family has the same inherent right to be Sylix.

Dad would say, “Daughter, see all around you, k’wlencuten our Creator gave all this to us, so we will never go hungry or thirsty.”

He told me to look after the water, that gives us drink and water to our hay fields and our cattle and horses.

He said, “Do not look away from your own Snaqsilxw.” He meant relatives. “If they need your help, give it to them. Always be generous, K’wlencuten has been generous to us.”

My dad had his own way of talking about God our Creator. He knew we were made in God’s own image.

I hope this gives some insight as to how our original Sylix lived, and how they did try to preserve the land and its inhabitants. I hope we can do the same for our next generation of yet to be born .

As Always in Friendship.