Syilx Okanagan students celebrate as they receive bachelor's degree focused on Nsyilxcn language

On June 8, Morning Dove Hall, a member of the Osoyoos Indian Band, danced with delight to the end of the stage after receiving her diploma.

That Thursday marked a historic moment for Hall and seven other Syilx Okanagan students, who became graduates of what the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) describes as the first bachelor's degree in the country with a major focused on an Indigenous language: the Bachelor of Nsyilxcn Language Fluency.

Hall admits she had no prior knowledge of her ancestors' language, Nsyilxcn, before enrolling in the program. A descendant of residential school survivors, she said her dance was a celebration of her family's cultural heritage.

"I wanted to dance for [them] because they carry that shame, and it doesn't have to be like that anymore — it's a time for change," she told host Sarah Penton on CBC's Radio West.

Nsyilxcn, an endangered language, is spoken by the Okanagan Nation peoples, including bands in the Lower Similkameen, Okanagan, Osoyoos, Penticton and West Bank. According to the latest census data, only 185 individuals in Canada speak Nsyilxcn as their first language.

UBCO's program is part of a $2-million initiative by the B.C. government to establish academic programs focused on Indigenous language fluency across the province. 

Starting in September 2021, students who have completed a two-year diploma program in the Nsyilxcn language from the En'owkin Centre in Penticton and the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology in Merritt could transfer their credits toward earning a bachelor's degree in Nsyilxcn language fluency at UBCO.

Those students must complete two additional years of coursework, including immersive language courses and language revitalization classes. 

Jeannette Armstrong, a knowledge keeper of the Syilx First Nation and associate professor of Indigenous studies at UBCO, said the BNLF program has brought joy and increased confidence among students in communicating with their elders in Nsyilxcn.

"I could see the reason that Dove danced across the stage, because it's joyful and important to our identity and to who we are," Armstrong said.

B.C.'s Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills has approved UBCO's plan to create two more bachelor's degree programs in St'át'imc and Nłeʔkepmx language fluency.

The ministry also says the University of Victoria has submitted an application to create a Bachelor of Arts degree program in Indigenous language proficiency.