To celebrate her 95th birthday, q史蕰ayxnmitk史 x史蓹stalk虛iya蕯 (Jane Stelkia) rode through her Osoyoos Indian Band community on horseback with her family.
of the syilx Okanagan Nation. She was honoured by leaders and community members with cake and speeches last week.
As roughly 100 people packed into the community clubhouse to celebrate on April 11 乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒渁 real good turnout,乌鸦传媒� she said 乌鸦传媒� Stelkia used her platform to share a speech of her own.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 going to give a little talk 乌鸦传媒� a talk from way back, so people can find out what it was like before,乌鸦传媒� she told IndigiNews.
乌鸦传媒淚 thought to myself, 乌鸦传媒榃ell, if I have a good big one, I乌鸦传媒檓 going to bring out my speech about the Indians.乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕
Stelkia asked a community member to read her speech on her behalf.
In it, she urged Indigenous people to assert a unified 乌鸦传媒淚ndian乌鸦传媒� identity, reclaiming the colonial label imposed by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
乌鸦传媒淔or 532 years, we have been called Indians here, in what is now called Canada,乌鸦传媒� she said, in remarks delivered on her behalf. 乌鸦传媒淔ight to put the Indian back.乌鸦传媒�
After dinner and birthday cake at the Nk乌鸦传媒檓ip Campground乌鸦传媒檚 Clubhouse in sw虛iw虛s (Osoyoos), Stelkia乌鸦传媒檚 speech argued that Canada is attempting 乌鸦传媒渢o side-step the hell that the government put all us Indians through乌鸦传媒� by constantly changing the words used to describe sqilx乌鸦传媒檞 (Indigenous) people 乌鸦传媒� whether 乌鸦传媒淎boriginal,乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒淔irst Nations,乌鸦传媒� or 乌鸦传媒淚ndigenous.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淭hey hope that in 50 or 100 years, no one will remember the Indians that went through hell. They want to erase that part of our history, because they couldn乌鸦传媒檛 erase us,乌鸦传媒� said Stelkia.
乌鸦传媒淪ince I was young, all I heard was that we were Indians. Until the past 20 years, I never heard the words First Nations or Aboriginals among us 乌鸦传媒� Just another form of colonization.乌鸦传媒�
Nearly a century of historic changes
Stelkia, who is an , has lived through monumental changes in her nearly a century of life.
When she was born in 1930, the country had just entered the Great Depression. King George V was 乌鸦传媒淐anada乌鸦传媒檚乌鸦传媒� monarch, and William Lyon Mackenzie King its prime minister. At the time, 乌鸦传媒� unless they gave up any treaty rights and Indian status.
The notorious Duncan Campbell Scott still led the Department of Indian Affairs. In 1920 he made residential 乌鸦传媒渟chool乌鸦传媒� attendance compulsory, was 乌鸦传媒渢o get rid of the Indian problem乌鸦传媒� through total assimilation.
Just five decades before Stelkia乌鸦传媒檚 birth, outlined that the term 乌鸦传媒淚ndian乌鸦传媒� means 乌鸦传媒渁ny male person of Indian blood reputed to belong to a particular band,乌鸦传媒� or 乌鸦传媒渁ny child of such person,乌鸦传媒� or 乌鸦传媒渁ny woman who is or was lawfully married to such person.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淲e are Indians 乌鸦传媒� we were called that from day one, so we gotta stick to that,乌鸦传媒� said Stelkia. 乌鸦传媒淔or 95 years, I乌鸦传媒檝e lived this and I know it.乌鸦传媒�
Reclaiming Indian identity also has legal implications. The controversial term was enshrined in 1982 in , which declared that 乌鸦传媒淎boriginal peoples of Canada includes the Indian, Inuit and M茅tis peoples.乌鸦传媒�
She said governments have 乌鸦传媒渁lways tried to get rid of the Indian乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒� and now she said they乌鸦传媒檙e trying to get rid of the term 乌鸦传媒淚ndian乌鸦传媒� too.
乌鸦传媒淭his is just a more indirect genocide of what was left,乌鸦传媒� she argued, 乌鸦传媒渁fter the first genocide didn乌鸦传媒檛 work.乌鸦传媒�
Over the decades, newer labels like 乌鸦传媒淎boriginal,乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒淔irst Nations,乌鸦传媒� or 乌鸦传媒淚ndigenous乌鸦传媒� have instead served to divide different nations once more unified in fighting for their rights, 乌鸦传媒渁nd this is what the government wants,乌鸦传媒� she said.
She warned that if her people keep changing their collective names, decades in the future 乌鸦传媒渘obody will know the history of wrong done to us.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淭he only way we can bring back our unity is if we are all Indians in the eyes of the government,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淒ivide and conquer is alive and well; now, the chiefs are having trouble having one voice.
乌鸦传媒淪o have a voice by being Indians 乌鸦传媒� because that乌鸦传媒檚 what we are.乌鸦传媒�
A horse-riding birthday tradition
Before Stelkia乌鸦传媒檚 dinner and speech, Stelkia began her birthday with a personal tradition: a horseback ride through her community, alongside her family.
Nearly 40 Indigenous and non-Indigenous horseback riders joined her as she rode from the Indian Grove Riding Stables up along a ridge outside of the Nk乌鸦传媒橫ip Desert Cultural Centre.
She told her fellow riders 乌鸦传媒渢hat乌鸦传媒檚 where the ancestors are乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒� and reminded them her syilx Okanagan forebears depended on horses.
Those ancestors once lived in pithouses built into the earth along their route, she told the riders before setting off.
乌鸦传媒淭hey lived underground 乌鸦传媒� for thousands and thousands of years,乌鸦传媒� she explained.
The group made its way along the ridge and past the cultural centre, where they circled a fountain at the nearby Spirit Ridge Resort, drawing the attention of tourists, before winding their way down to Nk乌鸦传媒檓ip Campgrounds and the camp乌鸦传媒檚 clubhouse.
Stelkia said she乌鸦传媒檚 been riding horses since she was a baby.
乌鸦传媒淚 was almost born on a horse, I guess,乌鸦传媒� she told IndigiNews. 乌鸦传媒淚ndian people, back then, had their kids on the horses. Horses mean a lot to the Indian people, because we didn乌鸦传媒檛 have anything to travel on.乌鸦传媒�
She remembers a time where horses were the only mode of transportation, when all you乌鸦传媒檇 find on dusty roads were saddles, and simple four-wheeled wagons called buckboards.
Reaching 95, and being the eldest member of her nation, is a milestone, but 乌鸦传媒淚 didn乌鸦传媒檛 even pay any attention to it,乌鸦传媒� she quipped about her age.
Spirit, tenacity and grit
Attending Stelkia乌鸦传媒檚 birthday party were four-of-seven chiefs from Okanagan Nation Alliance乌鸦传媒檚 member communities, and each took to the microphone to share what the Elder meant to them.
It was also Sheri Stelkia乌鸦传媒檚 birthday, so two cakes were brought out to honour them.
Chief Robert Louie, of Westbank First Nation, said he乌鸦传媒檇 known Jane since the early 1970s.
乌鸦传媒淛ane, you乌鸦传媒檝e got the same spirit, the same tenacity, the same grit, the same person that you were when I first met you,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淵ou haven乌鸦传媒檛 changed a bit.乌鸦传媒�
Chief Keith Crow, of Lower Similkameen Indian Band, remarked about Stelkia still working with her hands at her age, for instance repairing fences.
乌鸦传媒淚 see you乌鸦传媒檙e doing everything at 95 years old,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淚 hope I can still be doing that at 95 乌鸦传媒� I hope I make it to 95 乌鸦传媒� You乌鸦传媒檙e gonna go for 106.乌鸦传媒�
Penticton Indian Band乌鸦传媒檚 Chief Greg Gabriel called her an inspiration throughout the nation and beyond.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 just so happy to see you so young at 95,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淪till riding, still working hard. You乌鸦传媒檙e an amazing woman.乌鸦传媒�
Chief Clarence Louie, of Osoyoos Indian Band, praised Stelkia乌鸦传媒檚 hard-working lifestyle, and for keeping the syilx Okanagan horse culture alive.
He also thanked her and other language speakers in the room for their efforts in keeping nsyilxc蓹n alive.
乌鸦传媒淣one of us remember a time without you around,乌鸦传媒� Louie said. 乌鸦传媒淵ou remember a time where most of our people didn乌鸦传媒檛 speak much English.乌鸦传媒�
He reminded attendees in her childhood the world was a very different place for syilx Okanagan people.
乌鸦传媒淥ur people didn乌鸦传媒檛 have electricity; they had to get water from the creeks,乌鸦传媒� he recalled. 乌鸦传媒淭hey had to build a fire and stay warm in the winter time.乌鸦传媒�
But even though times were tough when Stelkia grew up, he said, she still reminds people that there were also good times, too.
乌鸦传媒淵ou remind us that we have to get back and not forget those times,乌鸦传媒� he told her with gratitude. 乌鸦传媒淭o remember those times, and to acknowledge where we come from, not just as a band but as a people and a nation.乌鸦传媒�
After the chiefs all spoke, attendees watched a video tribute of moments from Stelkia乌鸦传媒檚 life on a big screen.
Between old pictures and footage, she narrated the eras of her lifetime, from her early years at the Inkameep Indian Day School, to her love of ranching, cattle and horses.
In her birthday tribute video, someone asked Stelkia how she deals with failures.
乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 know,乌鸦传媒� was her answer, saying failure simply wasn乌鸦传媒檛 an option for her.
In the event乌鸦传媒檚 closing words, she thanked her community for joining her celebration, telling everyone to stand strong.
乌鸦传媒淏e proud to be Indian,乌鸦传媒� she encouraged, 乌鸦传媒渙f our culture, your language and discipline.乌鸦传媒�
