Dale Boyd
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter’
The En’owkin Centre, Theytus books and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) are hosting a virtual book launch celebrating four new children’s books in a series entitled “Follow the Water.”
The “Follow the Water” Series written by Harron Hall, with illustrations by Syilx artists Shianna Allison, Ron Hall, Phyllis Isaac and Bill Cohen, is part of a two-year initiative spearheaded by the En’owkin Centre and RDOS to create Syilx science-based resources.
Hall is an emerging writer from the Syilx and Nla’kapamux Nations. Her writing and performance art combines traditional storytelling methods with modern artistic expressions.
The series includes:
- iʔ siwɬkw nkwancinəm k̕əl suliʔ (The water sings to suliʔ) Ages 5 to 7
- kəxntim sʕanixʷ k̕əl nixʷtitkʷ acxʷəl̕xʷalt (We go with Muskrat to those living underwater) Ages 7 to 9
- skɬp’lk’mitkw (The Water Changeling) Ages 9 to 10
- kʷu‿c̕əx̌ʷəntim təl stunx isck’ʷuls (Lessons from Beaver’s Work) Ages 10 to 11
The focus of the series is Syilx water perspectives and how they relate to healthy ecosystems. Syilx Traditional Ecological Knowledge Keepers provided the expertise to produce the educational materials that can be used in classrooms valley-wide.
In the coming months, En’owkin Centre and the RDOS will host a series of “Follow the Water” classroom presentations for students from Kindergarten to Grade 5. A teacher’s resource guide is also being published to complement the series and will be made available to Okanagan school districts.
The book series launch is set for Feb. 5, 2021 at 3 p.m. via Zoom. To receive a meeting invitation, contact [email protected] Find out full details about the books and to pre-order your copies, visit theytus.com.
