A brief introduction
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We would like to welcome you to the lands on which we gather, our traditional unceded territory of the Smelqmix (Similkameen) People, home of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band of the Syilx Nation.
The Lower Similkameen Indian Band (LSIB) is situated in the picturesque Similkameen Valley, encompassing a diverse landscape of desert lands, lush valleys, and majestic mountains.
There are approximately 38,000 acres of Indian land without a treaty.
The Smelqmix and Syilx people have deep roots in what is now Washington State and British Columbia, spanning thousands of years. Originally nomadic, they moved according to food availability and climate changes. Their encampments were strategically chosen for lookout points, nearby food and water sources, wood availability, and hunting grounds. Summer homes were tipis, and the winter homes were pit houses.
Nsyilxcn language
Nsyilxcn (Salish) is the language spoken throughout the land of the Syilx Nation, from the Upper Nicola Valley in the northwest to the Colville River Valley in the southeast, from the upper reaches of the Columbia in the northeast to the Methow-Columbia region in the southwest, and in all parts in between.
Ntamtqen Community Garden & Food Hub 