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Ktunaxa leaders speak about Truth and Reconciliation Day

Above, listen to Ktunaxa Elder Mary Mahseelah read the Statement.

How to take action this Truth and Reconciliation Day

• Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

• Participate in local Truth and Reconciliation events in your community.

• Reflect on one action you can take in your daily life to move reconciliation forward.

On September 15, three Ktunaxa leaders sat down with James Farnan from Rogers TV to share their reflections ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Each spoke to the meaning of the day, the 94 Calls to Action, and the responsibilities that all Canadians hold in moving reconciliation forward.

The Ktunaxa Nation Council thanks Rogers TV for creating space for these conversations.

We will post the link to the finalized YouTube video when it is available.

 

Here are some highlights:

Truth and the Calls to Action

Heidi Gravelle, Nasuʔkin of ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation
“The 94 Calls to Action were a really good starting point, but without true understanding, accountability, and transparency, they remain words on paper.”

Cheryl Casimer, Nasuʔkin of ʔaq̓am
“Since its inception, only 13 to 14 recommendations have been implemented or are in progress. The remainder are just sitting there.”

Kathryn Teneese, Chair, Ktunaxa Nation Council
“We’re not going to turn the page until we acknowledge that truth and reconciliation came about as a result of very wrong actions in this country.”

Progress and accountability on the Calls to Action

Heidi Gravelle
“Progress has been really slow. Too often actions only happen where it’s comfortable for colonial systems, not where it’s truly needed.”

Cheryl Casimer
“The first five recommendations are specific to children, families, and that’s something that’s near and dear to me. They’ve seen very little progress. Jordan’s Principle still has 44,000 backlog applications in B.C. and so those are 44,000 children who are not receiving the resourcing and the supports that they need just to be able to have a regular day.”

Kathryn Teneese
“If we are going to change the narrative in this country, it can’t be just one or two things. It has to be a huge shift… that truth then grows with them into adulthood.”

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Heidi Gravelle
“It’s a day to honour our ancestors, those who endured, and those who didn’t make it home. But it’s also a day to educate, connect, and move forward together.”

Cheryl Casimer
“Sometimes people don’t know what to do when the buzzword of reconciliation is thrown around. Coming on a walk and showing support helps.”

Kathryn Teneese
“It’s an opportunity to celebrate who we are and the fact that we are still here, despite all efforts to eliminate us.”

Moving forward together

Heidi Gravelle
“We are not ‘stakeholders’—we are decision makers. Free, prior, and informed consent means being at the decision-making table, not on the sidelines.”

“Our natural laws—ʔa·knumuȼtiⱡiⱡ—have guided us since time immemorial. They must be the foundation for how we care for lands, waters, and all living things.”

Cheryl Casimer

“The catchphrase ‘reconciliation’ has lost its attraction for Canada and B.C. They focus elsewhere, but First Nations will continue moving forward—with or without them. It’s always easier to work with people than to try to get around us. We have constitutionally protected rights, and Supreme Court rulings support that. If governments ignore us, they’ll face court cases, protests, blockades—First Nations will not go back.”

Kathryn Teneese
“Look at the Calls to Action, find one thing that resonates with you, and do something differently in your life. Change happens person by person.”

“A lot of times people want Indigenous people frozen in time, but as society is evolving, so are we. We are good neighbors, artists, and businesspeople—acknowledge that.”

 

Ktunaxa Literacy Day 2025

The salmon are coming home: Historic return to the Columbia River

Courtesy: Columbia River Salmon Reintroduction Initiative

Columbia River Headwaters, Canal Flats, BC – The Bringing the Salmon Home Initiative, led by the Syilx Okanagan, Secwépemc, and Ktunaxa Nations, in partnership with the governments of British Columbia and Canada, is proud to announce a historic achievement: sockeye salmon released as fry in the upper Columbia River in Canada have returned as adults this year as far upriver as fish passage currently allows.

The Columbia’s headwaters in BC’s Kootenay region, once the spawning grounds of the world’s greatest salmon runs, have been blocked to returning salmon since the downstream construction of Grand Coulee Dam over 86 years ago. Through the Indigenous-led Bringing the Salmon Home: The Columbia River Salmon Reintroduction Initiative, two tagged sockeye salmon that were released in the upper Columbia as juvenile fry in 2023 were detected returning into the Columbia River as adults in the summer of 2025. The fish completed a remarkable journey down through a dozen major dams to the ocean and back toward their ancestral waters.

One adult sockeye was tracked making its way upstream past Wells Dam in Washington State, as of June 30, 2025. The second adult sockeye was detected passing through the nearby Rocky Reach Fishway on July 7, 2025. There were no further detections beyond these points.

Cultural processes have been observed within the respective Indigenous Nations and now this momentous news can be shared widely.

“This is a powerful affirmation of what our Elders and Knowledge Keepers have always told us,” says kalʔlùpaɋʹn Chief Keith Crow, Lower Similkameen Indian Band, Syilx Okanagan Nation. “Our Peoples have never stopped working together across colonial borders to call the salmon back. The salmon belong here, and with ceremony, Indigenous Knowledge combined with western science, and determination, we are bringing them home.”

Mark Thomas, Shuswap Indian Band Councillor, Secwépemc Nation, and Chair of the Bringing the Salmon Home Executive Working Group says: “This proves that, given the chance, the salmon know where they need to go. This moment is cause for celebration, reflection, and renewed commitment. We do this work for our grandchildren, for the river, and for all of our relations.”

Jason Andrew, ʔaq̓am Councillor, Ktunaxa Nation, adds: “Our ancestors taught us that salmon are part of who we are. Their return signals hope, healing, and responsibility. We will continue advocating for the necessary resources until ultimate fish passage is secured and salmon once again thrive in the upper Columbia.”

The Honourable Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries, says: “The recent return of adult sockeye salmon to the Columbia River is a meaningful reflection of what can be achieved through collaborative effort. Canada values the opportunity to contribute to this important work, which honours Indigenous leadership and knowledge, and supports ecological restoration efforts to benefit salmon.”

BC’s Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Randene Neill says: “This result confirms the success of collaborative reintroduction studies and the resilience of salmon life cycles once thought lost from these waters. This is a vital step in restoring salmon populations integral to the entire Pacific salmon ecosystem and communities.”

The Columbia River is over 2000 kilometres long. With almost 40 per cent of the river’s length originating in BC, the upper Columbia is key to the success of transboundary salmon reintroduction. Through the modernized Columbia River Treaty Agreement-In-Principle, Canada and the US have agreed to new measures for salmon restoration and ecosystem health, supporting the Indigenous-led Bringing the Salmon Home Initiative’s mandate to return salmon to the upper Columbia in Canada. For more information, please see the ColumbiaRiverSalmon.ca website.

Support for these technical studies was received through the federally and provincially co-funded British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF).

Small number of free, used laptops available for Ktunaxa ʔaqǂsmaknik̓

We’re happy to share that the Ktunaxa Nation Council has a small number of used laptops we’d like to pass along to Ktunaxa ʔaqǂsmaknik̓. These laptops are about 10 years old and were formerly work devices, but they’re still in good working condition and could be useful for everyday needs.

A few things to know:

• Laptops are available at no cost, on a first-come, first-served basis.

• They’re older machines, so they may run a bit slower than new devices, but they’re still functional for basic tasks.

• Each laptop is provided as is and may show some signs of use.

How to get one:

If you’d like a laptop, please email Communications@Ktunaxa.org, or call 250-489-2464 and ask for Extension 4345. We will send you confirmation along with pickup instructions. We’ll be distributing them until they’re all gone.

*Computer may be different brand/model than shown.

Reminder: Free or Subsidized Internet for Ktunaxa First Nations members!

Ktunaxa Business Showcase 2025

Download (PDF, 3MB)

Discover the diversity of Ktunaxa businesses.
Everyone is welcome!

October 3, 2025
10 am – 3 pm
St. Eugene Golf Resort Pavilion
Information?
economic@ktunaxa.org

Free admission to the Ktunaxa Interpretive Centre for attendees.

Visit ktunaxabusinessshowcase.ca for more information.

Fall engagement sessions: Cumulative effects in Qukin ʔamakʔis

Download (PDF, 1.75MB)

This fall, we’re holding engagement sessions on the Elk Valley Cumulative Effects Management Framework (CEMF)

Your voice matters in shaping the future of land, water, and wildlife in ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa.

👉 RSVP here

Together, we’ll look at the objectives, indicators, and targets for six valued components:

• Aquatic Ecosystems
• Westslope Cutthroat Trout
• Forest Biodiversity
• Bighorn Sheep
• Grizzly Bear
• High Elevation Grasslands

Engagement Sessions
📍 October 2, 2025 – Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it First Nation Office & Morrisey (on the land)
📍 October 15, 2025 – Ka·kin Group Ltd. Office & Round Prairie (on the land)
📍 October 28, 2025 – Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it First Nation Office (What We Heard Presentation)

🕘 Times vary – see full details below!
🍲 Meals and honoraria provided.

What are cumulative effects?

“Changes to environmental, social, and economic values caused by the combined effects of past, present, and potential future human activities and natural processes.”

Session agendas…

Session 1 – October 2, 2025

📍 Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it First Nation Office (Morning)
📍 Morrisey – On the Land (Afternoon)
🕙 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

• Opening & Introductions
• Overview of the Elk Valley CEMF
• Presentation & discussion on:
  • Forest Biodiversity
  • Westslope Cutthroat Trout
  • Aquatic Ecosystems
• Lunch (provided)
• On the Land Conversation – Morrisey (Ancient Cottonwood Trail, Elk River)
• Small group discussions on objectives, indicators & targets for the 3 valued components
• Wrap-up & Next Steps

Session 2 – October 15, 2025

📍 Ka·kin Group Ltd. Office (Morning)
📍 Round Prairie – On the Land (Afternoon)
🕙 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

• Opening & Introductions
• Overview of the Elk Valley CEMF
• Presentation & discussion on:
  • High Elevation Grasslands
  • Grizzly Bear
  • Bighorn Sheep
• Lunch (provided)
• On the Land Conversation – Round Prairie
• Small group discussions on objectives, indicators & targets for the 3 valued components
• Wrap-up & Next Steps

Session 3 – October 28, 2025

📍 Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it First Nation Office
🕠 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

• Welcome, Supper & Opening
• Presentation of “What We Heard” from Sessions 1 & 2
• Updated Objective Tables for all 6 valued components:
  Forest Biodiversity | Westslope Cutthroat Trout | Aquatic Ecosystems | High Elevation Grasslands | Grizzly Bear | Bighorn Sheep
• Q&A and group discussion
• Closing & Next Steps

 

Healing Strategy Engagements: September 8 to 11