Four Food Chiefs

Okanagan Nation Alliance: Upcoming Events

This resource link can be found at: https://www.syilx.org/events/okanagan-nation-salmon-feast/

Efforts were made to contact the Okanagan Nation Alliance to ask for their permission to use this resource to support educators in their understanding and implementation of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in the classroom. Learning from and with Syilx peoples and developing respectful, reciprocal, and productive relationships will be ongoing.

How can this resource be used?

This resource can be used to discover upcoming events held by the Okanagan Nation Alliance in relation to the Four Food Chiefs.

Four Food Chiefs Reflection Journal Template

Four Food Chiefs Reflection Journal Example

Four Food Chief's Characteristics

How Food was Given: An Okanagan Legend Read Aloud

This resource link can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfF-XR_DxJw

Efforts were made to contact the owner of this resource to ask for their permission to use this resource to support educators in their understanding and implementation of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in the classroom. Learning from and with Syilx peoples and developing respectful, reciprocal, and productive relationships will be ongoing.

Four Food Chiefs Individual Posters

Syilx Okanagan Concepts & Frameworks

You can find this resource link at: https://okanaganindgframeworks.wordpress.com/okanagan-food/

Efforts were made to contact the owner of this resource to ask for their permission to use this resource to support educators in their understanding and implementation of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in the classroom. Learning from and with Syilx peoples and developing respectful, reciprocal, and productive relationships will be ongoing.

Four Food Chiefs Characteristics, Descriptions, & Art

Kalamalka Garden: Four Food Chiefs Field Trip

You can find this resource link at:https://www.kalamalkagarden.ca/tours/school-tours.html

Efforts were made to contact the owner of this resource to ask for their permission to use this resource to support educators in their understanding and implementation of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in the classroom. Learning from and with Syilx peoples and developing respectful, reciprocal, and productive relationships will be ongoing.

How could theses resources be used in a classroom?

To enhance this learning experience, I recommend collaborating with the Indigenous advocates at each school. This will allow the students to gain a more authentic and profound understanding of the resources available. In my own classroom, I have utilized these resources by taking my students to both the Kelowna Heritage museum as well as the Kingfisher Interpretive center where the Four Food Chiefs captikʷł was shared and hands-on experiences were offered for the students. To continue this learning, it is important to have discussions on each chief and what they represent. Offered above, there is a journal for students to participate in and reflect on how they can work towards the admirable qualities that each chief possesses. 

In addition to these activities, a field trip to the Kalamalka Garden in Vernon would provide students with a rich learning experience through interactions with knowledgeable Indigenous educators. This field trip involves storytelling of the Syilx Okanagan captikʷł of the Four Food Chiefs, and students would have the opportunity to explore the garden and learn about native plants of the Okanagan region. Through this hands-on and visual experience, students can gain a deeper appreciation of the land they live on and learn the importance of caring for the plants and animals on it.

Though this content and these resources can assist in the integration of Indigenous knowledge into the classroom, it is important to seek out and build relationships with the Indigenous advocates in each school if possible, or Indigenous community members, knowledge keepers, or educators. We must remember that learning and educating on Indigenous perspectives should be done with and from local Indigenous community members.