July 2010 – Syilx Canoe Paddle
On Sunday, July 4 I took all of our guests to Osoyoos Lake (south of Penticton) to attend the annual July 4 Syilx Canoe Paddle. The canoe paddle begins from the north of Osoyoos Lake (in Canada) to the south of Osoyoos Lake (in the United States). The canoe paddle is done every year to show the Canadian and American governments that the Aboriginal people do not recognize the Canada-US border. Before the Europeans came to Canada, the Okanagan Nation was both in the US and Canada and they were the same people, not Americans or Canadians. During the first part of the canoe trip they invited one of our guests to paddle a short distance with them which was an amazing experience. The canoes were hand-carved out of black cotton wood and were beautiful. At the end of the short journey they gave him a hand-carved canoe made out of deer horn. Our guest had a fantastic time and it was wonderful for him to be part of such an important event.
