The Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) has launched a We Love Language campaign to help promote Syilx language and culture.
As part of the campaign, nsylixcen words are being placed on t-shirts and water bottles and then dispersed across seven different First Nation communities.
READ MORE: Okanagan College campus flies Syilx flag
Nsylixcen words like “ʕay̓n̓cút” and “n̓kl̓xʷusm”, which mean ‘laugh’ and ‘hug’ in English, are being used in the campaign to help support healthy family relationships.
On Tuesday, Feb. 25, Nsylixcen t-shirts were handed out in the Okanagan Indian Band and the Westbank First Nation (WFN) to help promote the campaign.
According to WFN, nsyilxcən is spoken by about 5,200 people in the Syilx/Okanagan region.
Syilx/Okanagan traditional territory stretches approximately 69,000 kilometres from Revelstoke B.C. to Wilbur, Washington.
The campaign is part of ONA’s You Empowered and Strong program, which was a project launched in 2017 to address the harmful impacts of family violence in First Nation communities.
To learn more about the We Love Language campaign, you can visit ONA’s website.
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