CNA to host 2023 Language & Culture Gathering

MERRITT – This month marks the return of the Citxw Nlaka’pamux Assembly’s language and
culture conference, called the Language & Culture móqʷix (phonetics: mo-qw-eehx) gathering.

The móqʷix will take place from October 27-29, 2023, at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology’s
Merritt campus, and will feature Storytellers, Knowledge Keepers, Elders, and Speakers sharing
information and stories on traditional tool making, traditional games, early years language immersion,
language nests, drum making, and much more.

“Language and culture go hand in hand, through our culture we learn and immerse ourselves in
connection to ourselves, to one another, and to the land, water, plants, and animals,” said Lena
Nicholson, the CNA’s nłeʔkepmxcín Program Manager.

“By practicing the ways of knowing and doing, we bring life to the land and honour our ancestors,
speaking our language is a form of healing, and sharing it with others enhances this immensely. No
matter how much or how little we know, we have the ability to teach it and share it with others.
nłeʔkepmxcín is rich with history, with descriptiveness, and ties us to our surroundings, the names of
places and people echo through the valleys and canyons, and we remember who we are as ƛ̓ uʔsqáyxʷ
(Indigenous people).”

Planned presenters and workshops at the móqʷix include making elderberry syrup and cottonwood
bud salve with Jack McIntyre, pine needle basketry with Rolene Edwards, and other teachings rooted
in nłeʔképmx culture and tradition.

Anyone interested in attending the móqʷix should register now, as pre-registration enters them for a
chance to win a new smoker! There will be several opportunities to win prizes throughout the
weekend of the móqʷix.

For more information, visit the CNA’s social media channels, contact the nłeʔkepmxcín Department at
lagnuage@cna-trust.ca, or call 250-378-1864.