To celebrate her 95th birthday, q史蕰ayxnmitk史 x史蓹stalk虛iya蕯 (Jane Stelkia) rode through her Osoyoos Indian Band community on horseback with her family.

of the syilx Okanagan Nation. She was honoured by leaders and community members with cake and speeches last week.

As roughly 100 people packed into the community clubhouse to celebrate on April 11 鈥� 鈥渁 real good turnout,鈥� she said 鈥� Stelkia used her platform to share a speech of her own.

鈥淚鈥檓 going to give a little talk 鈥� a talk from way back, so people can find out what it was like before,鈥� she told IndigiNews.

鈥淚 thought to myself, 鈥榃ell, if I have a good big one, I鈥檓 going to bring out my speech about the Indians.鈥欌��

Stelkia asked a community member to read her speech on her behalf.

In it, she urged Indigenous people to assert a unified 鈥淚ndian鈥� identity, reclaiming the colonial label imposed by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

鈥淔or 532 years, we have been called Indians here, in what is now called Canada,鈥� she said, in remarks delivered on her behalf. 鈥淔ight to put the Indian back.鈥�

After dinner and birthday cake at the Nk鈥檓ip Campground鈥檚 Clubhouse in sw虛iw虛s (Osoyoos), Stelkia鈥檚 speech argued that Canada is attempting 鈥渢o side-step the hell that the government put all us Indians through鈥� by constantly changing the words used to describe sqilx鈥檞 (Indigenous) people 鈥� whether 鈥淎boriginal,鈥� 鈥淔irst Nations,鈥� or 鈥淚ndigenous.鈥�

鈥淭hey hope that in 50 or 100 years, no one will remember the Indians that went through hell. They want to erase that part of our history, because they couldn鈥檛 erase us,鈥� said Stelkia.

鈥淪ince I was young, all I heard was that we were Indians. Until the past 20 years, I never heard the words First Nations or Aboriginals among us 鈥� Just another form of colonization.鈥�

 

Nearly a century of historic changes

Stelkia, who is an , has lived through monumental changes in her nearly a century of life.

When she was born in 1930, the country had just entered the Great Depression. King George V was 鈥淐anada鈥檚鈥� monarch, and William Lyon Mackenzie King its prime minister. At the time,  鈥� unless they gave up any treaty rights and Indian status.

The notorious Duncan Campbell Scott still led the Department of Indian Affairs. In 1920 he made residential 鈥渟chool鈥� attendance compulsory,  was 鈥渢o get rid of the Indian problem鈥� through total assimilation.

Just five decades before Stelkia鈥檚 birth,  outlined that the term 鈥淚ndian鈥� means 鈥渁ny male person of Indian blood reputed to belong to a particular band,鈥� or 鈥渁ny child of such person,鈥� or 鈥渁ny woman who is or was lawfully married to such person.鈥�

鈥淲e are Indians 鈥� we were called that from day one, so we gotta stick to that,鈥� said Stelkia. 鈥淔or 95 years, I鈥檝e lived this and I know it.鈥�

Reclaiming Indian identity also has legal implications. The controversial term was enshrined in 1982 in , which declared that 鈥淎boriginal peoples of Canada includes the Indian, Inuit and M茅tis peoples.鈥�

She said governments have 鈥渁lways tried to get rid of the Indian鈥� 鈥� and now she said they鈥檙e trying to get rid of the term 鈥淚ndian鈥� too. 

鈥淭his is just a more indirect genocide of what was left,鈥� she argued, 鈥渁fter the first genocide didn鈥檛 work.鈥�

Over the decades, newer labels like 鈥淎boriginal,鈥� 鈥淔irst Nations,鈥� or 鈥淚ndigenous鈥� have instead served to divide different nations once more unified in fighting for their rights, 鈥渁nd this is what the government wants,鈥� she said. 

She warned that if her people keep changing their collective names, decades in the future 鈥渘obody will know the history of wrong done to us.鈥�

鈥淭he only way we can bring back our unity is if we are all Indians in the eyes of the government,鈥� she said. 鈥淒ivide and conquer is alive and well; now, the chiefs are having trouble having one voice. 

鈥淪o have a voice by being Indians 鈥� because that鈥檚 what we are.鈥�

A horse-riding birthday tradition

Before Stelkia鈥檚 dinner and speech, Stelkia began her birthday with a personal tradition: a horseback ride through her community, alongside her family.

Nearly 40 Indigenous and non-Indigenous horseback riders joined her as she rode from the Indian Grove Riding Stables up along a ridge outside of the Nk鈥橫ip Desert Cultural Centre.

She told her fellow riders 鈥渢hat鈥檚 where the ancestors are鈥� 鈥� and reminded them her syilx Okanagan forebears depended on horses.

Those ancestors once lived in pithouses built into the earth along their route, she told the riders before setting off.

鈥淭hey lived underground 鈥� for thousands and thousands of years,鈥� she explained.

The group made its way along the ridge and past the cultural centre, where they circled a fountain at the nearby Spirit Ridge Resort, drawing the attention of tourists, before winding their way down to Nk鈥檓ip Campgrounds and the camp鈥檚 clubhouse.

Stelkia said she鈥檚 been riding horses since she was a baby.

鈥淚 was almost born on a horse, I guess,鈥� she told IndigiNews. 鈥淚ndian people, back then, had their kids on the horses. Horses mean a lot to the Indian people, because we didn鈥檛 have anything to travel on.鈥�

She remembers a time where horses were the only mode of transportation, when all you鈥檇 find on dusty roads were saddles, and simple four-wheeled wagons called buckboards.

Reaching 95, and being the eldest member of her nation, is a milestone, but 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even pay any attention to it,鈥� she quipped about her age.

 

Spirit, tenacity and grit

Attending Stelkia鈥檚 birthday party were four-of-seven chiefs from Okanagan Nation Alliance鈥檚 member communities, and each took to the microphone to share what the Elder meant to them.

It was also Sheri Stelkia鈥檚 birthday, so two cakes were brought out to honour them.

Chief Robert Louie, of Westbank First Nation, said he鈥檇 known Jane since the early 1970s. 

鈥淛ane, you鈥檝e got the same spirit, the same tenacity, the same grit, the same person that you were when I first met you,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou haven鈥檛 changed a bit.鈥�

Chief Keith Crow, of Lower Similkameen Indian Band, remarked about Stelkia still working with her hands at her age, for instance repairing fences.

鈥淚 see you鈥檙e doing everything at 95 years old,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 hope I can still be doing that at 95 鈥� I hope I make it to 95 鈥� You鈥檙e gonna go for 106.鈥�

Penticton Indian Band鈥檚 Chief Greg Gabriel called her an inspiration throughout the nation and beyond.

鈥淚鈥檓 just so happy to see you so young at 95,鈥� he said. 鈥淪till riding, still working hard. You鈥檙e an amazing woman.鈥�

Chief Clarence Louie, of Osoyoos Indian Band, praised Stelkia鈥檚 hard-working lifestyle, and for keeping the syilx Okanagan horse culture alive. 

He also thanked her and other language speakers in the room for their efforts in keeping nsyilxc蓹n alive.

鈥淣one of us remember a time without you around,鈥� Louie said. 鈥淵ou remember a time where most of our people didn鈥檛 speak much English.鈥�

He reminded attendees in her childhood the world was a very different place for syilx Okanagan people.

鈥淥ur people didn鈥檛 have electricity; they had to get water from the creeks,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淭hey had to build a fire and stay warm in the winter time.鈥�

But even though times were tough when Stelkia grew up, he said, she still reminds people that there were also good times, too.

鈥淵ou remind us that we have to get back and not forget those times,鈥� he told her with gratitude. 鈥淭o remember those times, and to acknowledge where we come from, not just as a band but as a people and a nation.鈥�

After the chiefs all spoke, attendees watched a video tribute of moments from Stelkia鈥檚 life on a big screen. 

Between old pictures and footage, she narrated the eras of her lifetime, from her early years at the Inkameep Indian Day School, to her love of ranching, cattle and horses.

In her birthday tribute video, someone asked Stelkia how she deals with failures.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know,鈥� was her answer, saying failure simply wasn鈥檛 an option for her.

In the event鈥檚 closing words, she thanked her community for joining her celebration, telling everyone to stand strong.

鈥淏e proud to be Indian,鈥� she encouraged, 鈥渙f our culture, your language and discipline.鈥�