Month: April 2024

Categories
Additional nsyilxcn words

Project reflection

way̓ x̌ast sx̌əlx̌aʕlt, incá iskʷist xíxʕutəm naʔł Zhaangswi Giizis uł Sienna Belanger-Lee kn t̓l syilx uł anishinaabe iʔ sqilxʷ uł kn t̓l nsisúlaʔxʷ ki kn mut uł inca kl iʔ mus spinkt t cohort.

Hello good day, my name is xíxʕutəm and Zhaangswi Giizis and Sienna Belanger-Lee and I come from the syilx and anishinaabe people and I’m from Bradley Creek/Dry Creek.

I was raised on the reserve at OKIB, nestled at the head of Lake Okanagan and I have been deeply rooted in my ancestral lands from a young age, fostering a profound connection to my indigenous identity and community. I am graduating in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in the nsyilxcn/nqilxʷcn language through the BNLF program at UBC Okanagan. I currently reside at nsisúl̓aʔxʷ – dry creek, and I am  actively engaged in various endeavours that reflect my passion for Indigenous culture and environmental stewardship. As a facilitator of Indigenous planting opportunities, I am committed to promoting sustainable practices and revitalizing traditional land-based knowledge within my community.

I believe it’s important to have the proper pronunciation and audio recordings of the UBC Okanagan syilx street signs and additional nsyilxcn words. It brings in the opportunity for language revitalization and reclamation. I recorded the audio for snlkapítn (coffee shop). The importance of these signs and QR codes is for visitors and students on campus to have a way to interact with the nsyilxcn language, the traditional language of the Okanagan. My hope is that students will feel the need to actively do better to educate themselves on language of this place and its people.

 

 

 

Categories
Additional nsyilxcn words

Additional nsyilxcn words for campus

The INLG380 students also recorded nsyilxcn words for additional items on campus. The full list and set of recordings is below. Please keep your eyes open for these QR codes on campus to listen to how to pronounce these words!

way̓ – greeting

Audio recorded by: Cathy Gottfriedson, language learner

 

səxʷmaʔmáyaʔm – teacher

Audio recorded by: x̌ʷnamx̌ʷnm tl OKIB, Peggy Joe, language learner.

 

snkc̓aw̓íw̓stn – bathroom/washroom

Audio recorded by: spəplínaʔ, Llana Teichroeb, tl stqáʔtkʷɬniw̓t, nsyilxcən learner.

 

k̓a ckɬk̓ʷul̓l̓stm nmynum̓tn – Arts 384, “toward what we are working on, a place for knowledge is shown to us”

Audio recorded by: st̓aʔqʷalqs, Hailey Causton, tl stqáʔtkʷɬniw̓t, language learner

 

sniliʔtn – storypoles

Audio recorded by: Cathy Gottfriedson, language learner

 

snscʔaʔúmtn – library

Audio recorded by: sxʷxʷlikʷm tl nk̓maplqs, Ashley Gregoire, language learner.

 

snlkapítn – coffee shop

Audio recorded by xixuʔtəm, Sienna Belanger-Lee, language learner

 

snyaʔyáx̌aʔtn – theatre ADM 101

Audio recorded by: x̌ʷnamx̌ʷnm tl OKIB, Peggy Joe, language learner.

 

sntw̓mistn k̓l scaʔum – bookstore

Audio recorded by: Kim Kosik, tl stqáʔtkʷɬniw̓t , nsyilxcən learner.

 

sƛ̓aʔƛ̓aʔsmypnwíɬn tә spax̌páx̌t – research space or lab

Audio recorded by: Kim Kosik, tl stqáʔtkʷɬniw̓t , nsyilxcən learner.

 

 

 

Categories
Street Signs

sniliʔtn (Lower Residence Lane and Upper Residence Place)

way’ iskʷist, semacn, Cathrine Gottfriedsen. kn tum̓ twi Lucille Terbasket Gottfriedsen (my late mother), part of the smlqmix-Eagle River people, Similkameen Indians ul kn twi mistəm George Gottfriedsen (my late father, part of the nk ma pəlqs). kn tl nk ma pelqs ul kiʔ kn mut (I am from and live at the Head of the Okanagan Lake, Okanagan Indian Band). My immediate family lives there, as well.

The street signs that I chose to record audio for on the UBC Okanagan campus are sniliʔtn, for the Lower Residence Lane and Upper Residence Place.  In sqilxʷcn-nsyilxcn sniliʔtn means “a place where people stay.” However, the more descriptive words for them areˑ tanyxʷut sniliʔtn for the Lower Residence Lane and tanwist sniliʔtn for the Upper Residence Place. The advice from our fluent professor, Dr. Jeannette Armstrong, was to use sniliʔtn by itself for both names.

sniliʔtn (Lower Residence Lane and Upper Residence Place) audio recorded by: Cathy Gottfriedsen, smlqmix-syilx and sqilxʷcn-nsyilxcn learner.

This project was for our technology course, which looked at how technology could be used for for endangered language documentation and revitalization, namely sqilxʷcn or nsyilxcn. The sqilxʷcn or nsyilxcn language is from our lands and waters, as we are. Many of us are doing what we can to learn, document and revitalize it. This project will help to keep our language alive. It is my responsibility and privilege to do my part. My nc̓q̓mnilsm (my wish) is that we will be here for all time, with sqilxʷcn or nsyilxcn. Enjoy your time in the beautiful sʔuknaʔqinx, the home of the Okanagan people. Limlimt!

Categories
Street Signs

xwiɬ k̕әl tqәltkusms (Upper Campus Way) and naʔuʔkʷmn nxəláktns(Transit Loop)

way̓ x̌ast sx̌əlx̌ʕalt, iskʷwist qʕwaʔqʷíslaʔqin, kn tl spax̌mn. Hello, good day, I am Justine Manuel from spax̌mn, also known as Upper Nicola, of the Okanagan Nation. I am a fourth year Bachelor of Nsyilxcn Fluency Degree student. I am very excited to be a part of creating language recordings for the UBCO campus.

Our nsyilxcn language comes from the land and it is great to see it being implemented on campus for students, faculty, staff and guests to take part in. The Okanagan language is very sacred and beautiful, there is a whole other world of knowledge within our language. The translations you see are very surface based, and if we were to ask our fluent speakers more about these translations, we would see just how brilliant and specific our language is.

For this project I recorded two terms, xwiɬ k̕әl tqәltkusms which translates to “path to the upper place” and nʔaʔúkʷmn nxəláktns, translating to “ the transportation path”.

xwiɬ k̕әl tqәltkusms (Upper Campus Way) audio recorded by: qʕwaʔqʷíslaʔqin tl spax̌əm, Justine Manuel-Young, language learner

naʔuʔkʷmn nxəláktns (Transit Loop) audio recorded by: qʕwaʔqʷíslaʔqin tl spax̌əm, Justine Manuel-Young, language learner

In taking part of this project I did not have an initial preference on which terms I wanted to record, I am very happy to record any language in hopes of helping others pronounce our language. Our fluent speakers always remind us how important it is to speak properly and really enunciate our language to the best of our ability. I have been working on my pronunciation throughout my language journey and pray that I make my ancestors proud. I hope this project will remind the students, faculty, staff and guests that our language is living, it is still here! putíʔ kʷu aláʔ, “We are still here”. We are continuously working toward keeping our language alive for ourselves and importantly, our future generations. Speaking language is very important to me and am so grateful to have this learning opportunity with the BNLF program.

way’ limləmt, thank you

Categories
Street Signs

sƛ̓aʔƛ̓ʔam tә spax̌ax̌t (Research Road) and nwist snmaʔmayaʔtn (University Way)

way̓. x̌ast sx̌l̓x̌ʕal̓t. isumáʔ iskwist Kim Kosik. kn tl stqáʔtkʷɬniw̓t.

Hello good day, my English name is Kim Kosik. I am a Westbank First Nation member and I currently live in Westbank.

As a part of the Bachelor of nsyilxcən Language Fluency degree program at UBCO, I recorded audio of me saying the following words from around the campus:

  • nwist snmaʔmayaʔtn (University Way) Street Sign audio recorded by: Kim Kosik, tl stqáʔtkʷɬniw̓t , nsyilxcən learner.
  • sƛ̓aʔƛ̓ʔam tә spax̌ax̌t (Research Road) Street Sign audio recorded by: Kim Kosik, tl stqáʔtkʷɬniw̓t , nsyilxcən learner.
  • sntw̓mistn k̓l scaʔum (Bookstore)
  • sƛ̓aʔƛ̓aʔsmypnwíɬn tә spax̌páx̌t (Research Lab)

There was no real reason why I chose these QR code recordings. I think that since the university campus is located on Okanagan territory, it is very important to have as much nsyilxcən incorporated around the campus as possible to allow students and faculty with as many learning opportunities as possible.

Audio for the street signs and other nsyilxcən signage around the campus is very important because there are many students and faculty who will not know how to pronounce the words by just looking at the signs. The nsyilxcən language uses sounds that are unknown to English speakers and so being able to scan the QR code and listen to the audio as many times as you’d like and practice pronouncing the words is important.

I hope that the QR codes are shared amongst students (and beyond) to bring visibility to the language and who knows, maybe in the future, everyone will be greeting each other in nsyilxcən instead of English around campus! That is the dream.

Categories
Street Signs

xәƛ̕pulaxʷ iʔ cwilx (International Mews) and aʔ cmystim (Knowledge Lane)

My name is Peggy Joe, I am a member of the Okanagan (syilx) Nation, registered member of the Okanagan Indian Band. I have been married to my partner Daniel Joe for 23 years and we have three sons, Gregory, Dylan and Ethan, and one grandson Emerson. When I first heard we were going to be doing QR codes for road signs on UBCO campus, I had mixed emotions at the thought. In some ways, it felt like pan-Indian work, meaning, someone needed to check a box to show they are doing their part for reconciliation and acknowledge the syilx people and the traditional lands they reside upon.

The word Reconciliation is somewhat of a buzzword these days with people using it at nauseam, trying to convince Indigenous people that they understand and are allies. What you know is what you have learnt in textbooks, or class lectures, which is not necessarily bad in the sense that you are finally receiving information that sheds light on the genocidal attempts of the Canadian government. The challenge is you go away with a false sense of understanding and in turn have this misconceived idea about what you think you know about who we are.  While I believe that, I also understand and recognize the value in sharing our language and increasing the visibility of it. Not only as a teaching tool, but also as a reminder to all who visit here that they are on the traditional un-ceded lands of the Okanagan (syilx) people, who enjoy a rich and vibrant culture, who walk with pride in the knowledge from their ancestors and whose land you walk upon today.

For my submission, there were two street signs and two additional words that were an add-on to the project. There was no real connection or deep meaning behind why I chose the words I chose. However when I reflect upon my words, I believe knowledge is vital in every aspect of our lives not merely in an academic setting, knowledge is everywhere.

aʔ cmystim (Knowledge Lane) audio recorded by: x̌ʷnamx̌ʷnm tl OKIB, Peggy Joe, language learner.

International speaks to the exposure our language will receive from International students, who when they return home, will take a little piece of our language with them.

xәƛ̕pulaxʷ iʔ cwilx (International Mews) audio recorded by: x̌ʷnamx̌ʷnm tl OKIB, Peggy Joe, language learner.

Street Signs

  • Knowledge Lane – aʔ cmystim
  • International Mews – xəƛ̓pulaxʷ iʔ cwilx

Additional Words

  • Teacher – səxʷmaʔmáyaʔm
  • Theater – snyaʔyáx̌aʔtn

 

Categories
Street Signs

sk̕әɬpax̌әx̌num̕t (Discovery Avenue)

waý, x̌ast sx̌lx̌ʕalt, iskʷist sxʷxʷlikʷm, inƛ̓əx̌əx̌ƛ̓x̌ap iskʷəskʷistsəxl skʷlmtxnalqs naɬ twi k̓ɬɬq̓ʷut.

Hello, good day. My English name is Ashley Gregoire. I was raised by my grandparents, Virginia Gregoire (skʷlmtxnalqs) and the late Leonard Gregoire (twi k̓ɬɬq̓ʷut), at Head of the Lake on the Okanagan Indian Band.

For this project, our BNLF cohort recorded audio for the nsyilxcn street signs and location names on campus. The street sign I chose to record was “sk̓əɬpax̌əx̌num̓t”. The word is made up of several parts which describe being in a continual state of thinking, learning, and obtaining knowledge, or “discovery”.

sk̕әɬpax̌әx̌num̕t (Discovery Avenue) audio recorded by: sxʷxʷlikʷm tl nk̓maplqs, Ashley Gregoire, language learner.

The location name I chose to record was “snscʔaʔúmntn” meaning a place to read, or “library”.  I chose these words because they represent the opportunity that we are presented with here at UBCO – a chance to expand our knowledge.

The nsyilxcn language is beautiful and descriptive, which the syilx people recognize as being generated and given to the people directly from the land. I feel it’s important to have the nsyilxcn language represented on campus to acknowledge and honour the beautiful territory of the sʔuknaʔqinx (Okanagan) people who have belonged to this land since time immemorial. The audio for these signs is equally important, as it provides the opportunity for people to learn proper pronunciation of each word while familiarizing themselves with the sounds of the nsyilxcn language, which is, ultimately, the sounds of this beautiful land.

My hope for these signs is that they will act as a reminder to all who come across them that we are residing on the unceded territory of the syilx / Okanagan people, and that nsyilxcn is the language of this land. I also hope that the signs will encourage people to hear, learn, and use the words posted around campus – contributing to the preservation of nsyilxcn.

Categories
Street Signs

snk̕ʷak̕ʷulstn (Athletics Court) and cnt̓uxʷliws (Diversity Place)

way̓ x̌ast sx̌lx̌aʔlt. isqilxʷ skʷist spəplínaʔ uɬ isumáʔ skʷist Llana Teichroeb. kn t̓l stqaʔtkʷɬniwt. kn sqilxʷ uɬ kn syilx k̓l Okanagan Nation.

Hello, my Indian name is Cottontail Rabbit, and my English name is Llana Teichroeb. I am from Westbank First Nations. I am syilx from the Okanagan Nation.

As part of an assignment for our INLG 380-Technologies for Endangered Language Documentation and Revitalization, our instructor, Dr. Christine Schreyer, asked us to create a QR code with the pronunciation of the street signs on campus that are in nsyilxcən (Okanagan Language). I recorded the pronunciation for two signs: snk̓ʷak̓ʷulstn (Athletics Court) spəplínaʔ, Llana Teichroeb, tl stqáʔtkʷɬniw̓t, nsyilxcən learner and

snk̓ʷak̓ʷulstn (Athletics Court) audio recorded by: spəplínaʔ, Llana Teichroeb, tl stqáʔtkʷɬniw̓t, nsyilxcən learner

cnt̓uxʷliws (Diversity Place) audio recorded by: spəplínaʔ, Llana Teichroeb, tl stqáʔtkʷɬniw̓t, nsyilxcən learner.

I was drawn to the athletics road sign because my family has always been involved in various sports, so it seemed fitting. Likewise, my life is diverse, as I have walked in two worlds, white and First Nations. There have been many times in my life where there has been a significant division between these pieces of my identity.

Additionally, the BNLF 4th-year cohort decided to take the project further and incorporate QR codes with pronunciations for other campus areas. For no specific reason, I took on the extra word snkc̓aw̓íw̓stn, meaning bathroom/washrooms.

Seeing our language on the street signs and around campus is one avenue that allows us to bring attention to our language. Our language is connected to our culture and our identity. People need to recognize that it is not simply another language. Our language is intimately connected to who we are, and it explains our connection to our tmxʷúlaʔxʷ (land).

As syilx people, it is essential that the territory on which non-syilx people stand, live, work, and visit is recognized as being unceded land that has belonged to us since time immemorial. Our tmxʷúlaʔxʷ is that of our ancestors, and it still belongs to us as it is land that has never been given to the Crown. It is not just land; we are innately connected to the tmxʷúlaʔxʷ and all living things. Due to this connection, we understand our responsibility is to care for our tmxʷúlaʔxʷ and protect it.

I have enjoyed this assignment and I look forward to seeing and trying out the QR codes on campus.

Categories
Street Signs

np̕aƛ̕mqsts iʔ scmaʔmayaʔs (Alumni Avenue)

Audio recorded by: st̓aʔqʷalqs, Hailey Causton, tl stqáʔtkʷɬniw̓t, language learner

iskʷist st̓aʔqʷalqs, kn tl staʔqatkʷłniwt, intum Sandi Alexander naʔł inmistəm kninm ta nqʷic̓tn.

I chose to record np̕aƛ̕mqsts iʔ scmaʔmayaʔs was chosen for Alumni Avenue as it means “graduated with higher learning”, because I am alumni from before with a BA and excited to be again with the Bachelors of nsyilxcn Language Fluency Degree. I also chose this one because no one else in my group wanted it. I had a hard time with my recorder and needed assistance in learning about handheld recorders and reformatting an SD card. It was imperative to use a recorder that had a proper microphone.

It is important to have nsyilxcn visible and functional in as many spaces within the syilx territory. Our language isn’t hidden anymore. I want my children to know that we protect nsyilxcn by using it and living in it every day. Audio connected to the signs, allows people who don’t read nsyilxcn to hear nsyilxcn, some visual letters differ from the regular alphabet.

I hope that there are more opportunities to have nsyilxcn functional around campus, especially with the new building being built! QR codes are an interesting way to share information. Sometimes you don’t know what’s waiting to be shared on the other end. I look forward to additional multi-media initiatives where students and instructors can be present on campus via QR code forever. For example, QR coding the current videos of Dr. Jeannette Armstrong and Richard Armstrong pronouncing titles of the Bachelors of nsyilxcn Language Fluency Degree. Making space for sqilxʷ people to be immersed in language and culture within the academic setting is a multi-layered approach to healing intergenerationally.

 

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