Charlotte Stringam (far right), manager of the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre, announded at a fundraising dinner Friday night that the centre will be undergoing a large expansion. (Keith Lacey photo)
Clarence Louie, the Chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB), said attractions like museums and cultural centres don’t make money, but they are incredibly important in preserving history and telling stories and that’s why the OIB will not hesitate in spending big bucks to expand the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre.
Speaking at a fundraising salmon dinner for the cultural centre last Friday evening, Louie and centre manager Charlotte Stringam announced construction on a large expansion will begin soon.
“Museums and cultural centres don’t make money, but they’re not meant for that purpose,” said Louie. “This cultural centre is a very important part of our (OIB) history.
“We know we won’t make any money (with the expansion) and we have to subsidize this cultural centre, but we knew that going in when we built it. Cultural centres and museums are a leadership responsibility and we will be investing money and we will make it bigger and better.”
The Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and it was announced at that celebration that an expansion would take place and that expansion will begin soon, said Stringam at Friday’s celebration dinner.
Stringam didn’t reveal all the details, but said she envisions the expansion to include a glass-enclosed outdoor space where meetings and events could take place year-round.
“I would like to see a glass-enclosed meeting room that can have the roof open in the summer months,” she said.
This outdoor area could be used to public and private functions year round.
An expansion of a “private exhibit area” that would bring in artifacts and exhibits from across Canada and around the world is also in the plans, she said.
There are also plans to build a “fully interactive wall” that would detail the proud history of the OIB and Okanagan people.
The second annual fundraising salmon dinner for the cultural centre was attended by 120 people.
The centre provides on-site cultural tours, programs, self-guided nature trails, a gift shop, cultural events and the acclaimed film Coyote Spirit, along with other multi-media productions.
It is also home to world-leading rattlesnake research and tagging programs, native sculptures and interactive displays reflecting the unique experience of a desert centre based on the rich heritage of Okanagan people.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
