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.