way’ p snƏqsyilxw ~ hello my relations!
Our Elders will always ask the following question:
This question, asked in our local languages, nɬeʔkepmx and nsyilx respectively, is not confirming what your name is or who you are as an individual. They are asking a fundamental question related to who your people are, to whom are you connected.
At the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT), we address this question in a very different manner than a typical public post-secondary school in British Columbia. Founded in 1983 by the five First Nations bands of the Nicola Valley – the Upper Nicola, Lower Nicola, Nooaitch, Coldwater, and Shackan Indina Bands, NVIT was created as a place for Indigenous people to thrive in learning.
Ethnographer James Teit (1913), gathered the following sptekʷł (nɬeʔkepmx) / captikʷł (nsyilx) / story work (English) from local Indigenous peoples that exemplifies the foundational thoughts of NVIT:
Coyote lived for many winters in the Nicola Valley, at a place called “Coyote’s Underground Lodge.” He hunted elk and deer in the wintertime, and in the early fall he fished for salmon… at a place called, “Coyote’s Weir” near Spences Bridge.
While Coyote was travelling about the world making transformations, he gave names to different parts of the country. He would make a hill here, a bench or plain there; a rocky bluff here, a grassy slope there; bushes or trees of certain kinds here, and there widen or narrow a river, make shallow or deep water, make canyons, falls, and rapids; and so on. These things were for the good of the people…
Much later, the people made NVIT.
Just like how Coyote made things for the good of the people, NVIT was made for the good of the people. It is a place where people make transformations to their own realities. With transformation in mind, NVIT values concepts born of the local nɬeʔkepmx and nsyilx people, respectfully;
zəʕʷzo ʕwt ~ kʷckʷact – our strength
qʷəmqʷəmt ~ qʷam̓qʷam̓t – balance and beauty
nkseytkn ~ nəqsílł – the people we travel with; and
sneɁm ~ m̓ayntwíxʷ – our song and spirit.
Through the teachings of Coyote from our sptekʷł ~ captikʷł, or story work, NVIT creates a place where people transform themselves. From the moment a learner connects with us, we aim to provide our utmost attention and understanding to show the countless paths they may take for their career and personal growth. Our student support services are in place to aid our learners in any potential obstacle or barrier they may have in finishing their programs. Ultimately, people who go through NVIT end up with a different sense of cultural appreciation and commitment to uplifting themselves and their respective communities.
What’s your story?
On behalf of the NVIT Elder’s Council, Board of Governors, and the rest of the NVIT community, I extend a warm welcome to the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) – British Columbia’s Indigenous Public Post-Secondary Institute.
x̌ast Ispʔus ~ my heart is good
John Chenoweth, PhD
President & CEO of NVIT