Employment Opportunities
WFN MembeR Platforms
Contact: Communications | T 250 769 4999 | E Communications@wfn.ca
Individuals and Media are invited to contact the Communications Department if they would like confirmation on appropriate terminology or to request an interview or statement.
The below information has been compiled to support anyone writing about or describing Westbank First Nation (WFN). If you have any questions, or recommended changes, please just reach out.
*Please note: to use the Westbank First Nation logo, you must gain explicit consent for a specified purpose from the Westbank First Nation Communications team.
Please see below for downloadable images. If you require additional images or a specific image not listed, please reach out.
*Images provided are intended for editorial, promotional, and marketing use in connection with coverage of Westbank First Nation. Any other use, including commercial resale or modification, requires prior written permission.*
Westbank First Nation is a proper noun and stands alone.
Proper Use:
Improper Use:
Westbank First Nation is a self-governing First Nation, not a "band", "tribe", or "clan".
When referring to WFN Membership, the term Indigenous is preferred. When referring to the Indigenous peoples of Westbank First Nation, you may use sqilxʷ, syilx, suknaqínx, Okanagan, or all four.
Certain areas of WFN Lands are known as stqaʔtkʷɬniwt, which interprets to windy bay.
Area of responsibility refers to a broader area that spans the partial breadth of the traditional territory. View map, here.
Traditional territory refers to the area utilized and stewarded by the sqilxʷ / syilx / Okanagan peoples since time immemorial. View map, here.
When referring to joint projects or initiatives happening within the City of West Kelowna and Westbank First Nation, you may choose to use the neutral term "Westside".
When referring to land, it is either Westbank First Nation land or West Kelowna land; each government has its own borders and jurisdictions.
The lands of the Okanagan Nation are unceded and it is appropriate to acknowledge, consult with, and accommodate Indigenous people and the traditional history of lands.
A land acknowledgement may be written and placed in a business, on a website, or delivered by an emcee at an event. If being delivered at an event, it should take place at the beginning.
Land acknowledgements are to be completed by the visitor or settler of sqilxʷ / syilx / Okanagan traditional territory.
Please note, it is not appropriate to request that a sqilxʷ / syilx / Okanagan person do a land acknowledgement within their own traditional territory.
Land acknowledgements should be intentional. At the very least, Okanagan-based land acknowledgements recognize:
A land acknowledgement is one step of many on the path of reconciliation; reconciliation cannot happen without truth.
Learn more, including tips for forming your own land acknowledgement, by visiting the below:
A Land Opening or Welcome extends invitation to members of the host Community or Nation and can be requested by submitting a cultural request form through Sncewips.
It is expected that guests invited to speak are compensated.
A Land Opening or Welcome is not a substitute for a Land Acknowledgement.
A Prayer or Blessing may be provided by an Elder, Youth, or community Member, acknowledging the interconnectedness of and our shared responsibility to the land, the water, and all living things.
Elders are and have always been highly important and respected. Elders hold responsibility to knowledge sharing and providing guidance.
A Prayer or Blessing may take the form of a song and is not a substitute for a Land Acknowledgement and does not inherently include a Land Opening or Welcome.
Dancing and drumming is one expression of Indigenous history, spirituality and culture. Although enjoyable, it should not be requested solely for entertainment. Dancing and drumming often portray cultural knowledge and storytelling, in celebration of connection and the spiritual.
Regalia is traditional, often sacred, and should not be confused with a ‘costume’.
Always seek permission prior to touching or taking pictures, ensuring to share how images may be used.
Indigenous peoples invited to provide a welcoming, opening, prayer, or blessing should be provided with an honoraria or may have their own set professional fee(s). This extends to drummers and dancers as well.
Gift giving is an important part of sqilxʷ / syilx / Okanagan culture, showing gratitude, respect, and reciprocity. Gifts should be intentional, there is no one-size-fits-all or catch-all gift. Gifts are to be provided in addition to an honorarium.