Indigenous Penticton: Unceded syilx Territory, Nations and Community

About Penticton

Penticton is the main retail and service centre of the South Okanagan, and the 2016 census counted 33,761 residents. The city sits on a narrow bench of land between two lakes, Okanagan Lake to the north and Skaha Lake to the south. Tourism promoters say it is one of only two cities in the world set between two lakes. Orchards arrived in the 1890s, and vineyards now climb the benches around town. The local wine industry has grown sharply since the mid-1980s, joined by breweries, cideries and distilleries. The neighbouring Penticton Indian Band runs the largest reserve in British Columbia. Hot, dry summers and lake beaches draw visitors, while the Apex ski resort nearby now operates year-round.

Penticton history

The syilx Okanagan People have lived in the Penticton area for more than 7,000 years. The lakes, creeks and hillsides gave them rich places to hunt, fish and gather. The city's name comes from the nsyilxcən word snpintktn. Tourism Penticton translates it as meaning a place where people have always been all year long. Scottish fur traders David Stuart and Alexander Ross of the Pacific Fur Company passed through in 1811 and 1812. Syilx people guided and helped these early traders through the valley. The Okanagan Nation Alliance notes that reserves here were set out without any treaty being negotiated first. The Nation has always held that the land remains theirs. Settler orchards took root in the 1890s, and a townsite formed in 1906. The Kettle Valley Railway reached Penticton in 1915. Later, the Rogers Pass route was completed in 1962. The Hope-Princeton highway opened in 1949, the year after Penticton became a city in 1948. In 1965 the Peach Bowl convention centre opened, a sign of how important visitors had become. In 1981 the Okanagan Nation Alliance formed as the first First Nations government in the Okanagan, with Penticton Indian Band as a member.

Treaty and territory

Penticton sits on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the syilx Okanagan People, and beside the lands of the Penticton Indian Band (snpink’tn). No treaty has been negotiated for this part of the Okanagan.

Nearby: Penticton Indian Band (snpink'tn) · Summerland · Naramata · Okanagan Falls · Oliver · Keremeos

Indigenous Penticton today

The Penticton Indian Band, known in nsyilxcən as snpink'tn, is one of the seven Okanagan Nation communities in Canada. The band states that the Nation holds title and rights to the whole of Okanagan territory. It runs its own education centre, the Outma Sqilx'w Cultural School and the Little Paws Children's Centre. Language learning and cultural programs sit alongside health, housing and public works services. The Okanagan Nation Alliance links Penticton Indian Band with Okanagan Indian Band, Westbank, Osoyoos, Upper Nicola, both Similkameen bands and the Colville Confederated Tribes. Its Chiefs Executive Council brings each community's Chief together. The En'owkin Centre, on En'owkin Trail in Penticton, is a private post-secondary institute governed by the Okanagan Indian Educational Resources Society. Students can work toward nsyilxcən language fluency, laddering toward a bachelor's degree. It also offers Indigenous fine arts foundations with the University of Victoria and a national professional artist training program. Restorative justice and eco-literacy programs round out its work. The City of Penticton formally recognizes the band and the unceded territory of the syilx Okanagan People.

Life in Penticton

Penticton is best known for its two lakes and the beaches along them. Beaches on both lakes fill up on hot days. The Channel Float is one of the signature water activities in town. The restored SS Sicamous sternwheeler now serves as an inland marine museum on the lakeshore. The old Kettle Valley Railway bed has become the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, popular with cyclists and walkers. The Apex Alpine ski resort, expanded to year-round operation, gives locals a mountain close to home. Wineries, breweries, cideries and distilleries line the benches, surrounded by orchards and vineyards. The South Okanagan Events Centre has three ice sheets and hosts large events year-round. Art galleries, a museum, the Okanagan School of the Arts and the Cleland Theatre anchor the arts scene.

Penticton seasons and weather

Penticton is one of the sunniest places in Canada, with over 2,100 hours of sunshine and about 15 inches of rain a year. Summer can top 35°C with low humidity. Winter highs sit near 5°C and lows average around -4°C, with snow on roughly 40 days. A tee handles most of the year here, with a hoodie for cool lake evenings and winter.

More on the region: Indigenous British Columbia · all of Canada.

Keep learning in the XUSI Journal

• First Nations, Métis and Inuit: What’s the Difference?
• How to Write a Land Acknowledgement That Means Something
• Orange Shirt Day & the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
• National Indigenous Peoples Day and History Month: A Guide
• All Journal articles

Penticton questions