On April 28, 2022, we, the sməlqmíx, the syilx people of the Similkameen Valley, declared the nʔaysnúlaʔxʷ snxaʔcnitkʷ (Ashnola Watershed) in its entirety and for all future generations a sməlqmíx Protected and Conserved Area.
The nʔaysnúlaʔxʷ is a place of connection, a great trade and migration route of historic and present cultural significance, linking the sməlqmíx to the ƛ̓msiw̓ (Stó:lō) in the west through the Pasayten into the Skagit and connecting the nʔaysnúlaʔxʷ to the mitxwaʔ ̌ (Methow), merging the sməlqmíx with syilx at a critical juncture in our history.
The nʔaysnúlaʔxʷ is an essential watershed. Its waters are iʔ siwłkʷ sq̓aq̓łus iʔ təmxʷúlaʔxʷ (veins of the land), providing cold, pure siwłkʷ (water) for the təmxʷúlaʔxʷ (land) and tmixʷ (the life force within all four sacred ecosystems) in a time of climate change, uncertainty, increasing water scarcity, and threats from industry and development.
Links
- nʔaysnúlaʔxw iʔ k̓̓łluxwnwixwmntət (Ashnola Declaration) – blog written by Janessa Lambert & Sunshine Waisman
- naqsn – speaking with one voice (Ashnola sPA Summer Newsletter)
- naysnúlaʔxʷ (Ashnola) IPCA Declaration Poster: English | nsyilxcən
- naysnúlaʔxʷ (Ashnola) IPCA Informational Two-Pager
- naysnúlaʔxʷ (Ashnola) IPCA Legal Backgrounder Booklet
- naysnúlaʔxʷ (Ashnola) IPCA Frequently Asked Questions