Journalist shares his intentions as an Okanagan Storyteller

To finish off my first full month as a storyteller at IndigiNews, I attended the Okanagan Indian Band’s (OKIB) long-awaited Cultural Arbor grand reopening.

For the community, it was a homecoming event, a return to a beloved and sacred space that has been the location of hundreds of cultural events for the syilx Nation since the 1980s. It was a “welcome home” event for the nk’maplqs people (people from head of Okanagan Lake) who were displaced by the White Rock Lake wildfire last summer.

And for many, the gathering was a day to honour loved ones who have transcended into the Spirit World in the last few years.

For me, it was a day of many firsts. It was more than just covering a gathering. It was a day to introduce myself to the community as IndigiNews’ new

Okanagan Storyteller.

I met a lot of new people, shared some good laughs and had meaningful discussions. It was also my first time attending a powwow, and I learned about the role of the powwow’s whipman and his responsibilities.

When I received the agenda for the gathering earlier that week, it was a little daunting to see that the gathering would go from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

I’ve never covered a full-day gathering as such, so I was worried about how I would encapsulate the entire day into one story.

I needed to be there all day, not to paint a picture of the gathering, but to establish a connection with the community and to build trust. It was the community’s special day, and it was the community's story, not mine.

Being there for half the day just wasn't going to cut it. And while I was exhausted by the end of it, I'm glad I stayed.

I have many storytelling intentions for the year, but my biggest one is to be present. To show people I care by simply being there.

And in doing that I commit myself to learning more about the community and carrying forward what I’ve learned.

And a good chunk of that work can only be achieved by dedicating hours of my day to spending time with the people whose stories I'm sharing.

To tell the community’s story, I need to be part of the community. I need to be there. How can I accurately, honestly and respectfully tell the community's story if I don’t take the time to be present, to learn, to sit and to listen?

If I had left the Cultural Arbor gathering after opening remarks, I wouldn't have known about the work the OKIB’s Recovery Team is doing in the aftermath of the 2021 wildfire season.

I would have missed the milestone event of Great Shirt Tyler Jensen being initiated as a whipman by his uncle, Melem’stya Everett White. I would have missed the powwow, and all of the beautiful music and regalia. The salmon dinner that filled the bellies of many. The community fashion show that wowed guests.

I’ve been a visitor here in syilx territory for just over a year now.

In May, I attended Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society’s honouring ceremony for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people.

As I mentioned before, if you want to tell stories about the community, you need to be a part of the community.

There are a few other storytelling intentions that come to mind as well. To be a human first — a community member — and a storyteller second. To value and respect community members' time, their experiences, their knowledge and their voices. To be mindful of people’s trauma. To listen, learn and unlearn. To be patient, understanding, caring and considerate. To create relationships, and to tell stories that uplift and honour the community.

June is shaping up to be a busy month. I’m excited for all the stories that are waiting to be told. I've seen the impact that my stories can have, and I'm looking forward to sharing more. But none of it would be possible if it wasn’t for the generosity and openness of the community to share their voices and experiences with me.

There’s so much that the community has to offer, and I’m just grateful to be here in this role to share that.

So, thank you for having me, and for sharing your world with me.