‘Unity is connecting the people to each other, and connecting ourselves to the land,’ said one participant about the commemorative journey that wrapped up on Aug. 1

The inaugural syilx Nation Unity Paddle Trek in 2001 — a days-long journey across syilx homelands spanning more than 300 km that also began at the head of Okanagan Lake but ended in “Brewster, Washington” — was conceived by the late PIB Elder Louise Gabriel, the mother of Chief Greg Gabriel.

“She had a dream that she saw the canoes back on the water,” said Bruce Manuel, a member from the Upper Nicola Band, who supported both canoe treks and has served as a skipper across different paddle journeys over the years.

“In her living memory, she recalled being a girl and being told stories about the canoes being on the water. She had never seen it in her lifetime.”