Syilx
/ˈsiː.jɪlx/noun
An Indigenous ethnonym referring to the Syilx people, also widely known in English as the Okanagan people, and to their cultural and linguistic community.
Did you know?Syilx is a self-designation connected with the Nsyilxcən language and is often used instead of the colonial exonym “Okanagan,” reflecting Indigenous language revitalization and sovereignty.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact era
Nsyilxcən
Syilx
“Indigenous self-designation of the people; its precise internal etymology is not securely established in standard English-language reference works.”
19th Century
English
Okanagan
“An English form of a regional Indigenous name used by colonists and mapmakers for the people, language, and territory.”
20th Century
English
Okanagan
“The dominant English exonym in Canadian and United States usage for the people and their language.”
Late 20th Century
English/Nsyilxcən
Syilx
“Increasingly used in English-language Indigenous scholarship and political contexts as the community’s preferred self-designation.”
21st Century
English/Nsyilxcən
Syilx
“A contemporary name for the Syilx people and their transboundary cultural nation, including language revitalization and governance movements.”
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